Hidden in Black Ice
by Darkness's Blade
Summary: Elsa has finally overcome her fear of being a danger to her home and has become a wonderful Queen for Arendelle. However, when a man with an even more tortured past than her appears, she learns that letting go isn't as easy as she thought. Past threats that lie in wait will reveal themselves that will threaten her entire world, but the most dangerous of them all comes from within.
1. Chapter 1

Fall began to rear its head in Arendelle as the citizens began to prepare for the inevitable winter that was approaching. It had been a great summer with Princess Anna's birthday being on the Summer Solstice. It's only been one year since Elsa had taken the throne and while she had trouble in the beginning, Arendelle flourished under her dutiful watch. Even with the loss of a trading partner in the form of Weselton, the beautiful Queen had found trade in other partners.

One such partner was the secluded kingdom of Blackdust, who was primarily a military centered large island. Rumors of them developing new weapons would arise every so often but there was nothing concrete for anyone to act on. Even the King was said to be the strongest of warriors in the kingdom due to the unique class system. If you were proficient in battle then you'd have a high rank in the class system. With the second of the entire kingdom having the ability to even challenge the king for the throne once a year.

This weeded out the weak from the military rule that governed there, the lower class was mostly composed of people who had no business to fighting. They supported their economy with goods such as fishing, woven textiles, farming, and mining materials. There was little information around them due to the fact there weren't many who left the kingdom, even when Arendelle acquired them as a trade partner; the traders themselves were quiet and under guard.

While the late King and Queen had closed off the castle so no one would know of Elsa's abilities. The King of Blackdust had closed his kingdom off completely, as if they too were hiding something. Before their sudden disappearance, the island kingdom had sent men to many corners of the world to serve the highest bidder for anyone who could afford their time. Blackdust's military was small, smaller than even Arendelle, however were elite in comparison to most they came up against. However there were rumors that the kingdom went through a coup that brought all of its soldiers back to stabilize the kingdom. Their disappearance from the world lasted for four years, ending with them writing to Arendelle requesting goods from their neighbor.

This was one of Elsa's first dealings as a queen and she tried to get an idea of what the kingdom was like and who their enemies were before dealing with them. She didn't want to put Arendelle in any danger of angering any surrounding kingdoms but their was little for her to find in regards to their affairs with other kingdoms. So she gambled that she could just trade with them without officially declaring them an ally until she obtained more information. So for the next year, they traded with little more than a few words exchanged between one another…

Until one day the king of Blackdust wrote a letter to the queen herself.

_Greetings Queen Elsa of Arendelle, _

_I, King Alrick of Blackdust, would like to thank you for your allowance of us to trade wears with you and boost our diminishing economy. I would like to ask that we come to your Winter Solstice gathering to formally thank you in person. I myself will not be able to attend of course however my son, Prince Ahimoth, is more than excited to see the jewel that is your kingdom. I do hope we aren't overstepping our bounds in this request, but it would be unsightly of me to not attempt to form familiar ties with a kingdom who has helped us more than one would think. Regardless if you decide to keep our ties neutral at best, we still would simply like to send an envoy to thank you in person. _

When Elsa received this, she had asked her council to come together and discuss this to weigh their options. This brought her to where she was now, sitting on her throne with her council members conversing amongst themselves. The six of them had been arguing back and forth for the last ten minutes with Elsa beginning to lose her patience. She had let this play out to get a feel for the room while being able to keep her own opinions to herself until she was ready for them to be known. But when they began to talk in circles her patience began to diminish as she searched for the right words to convey her position as she continued to listen.

"They've been secluded for the last five years save trading with us, with this we have the opportunity to learn more about them and their relations with other kingdoms." An older gentlemen, Earl Alphonse, had the position that they should know all they could about Blackdust to see if it was worth being allied with. It honestly reminded her of the Duke of Weselton as he tried finding out every little secret of they had during her coronation. She knew they were two different people but her opinion of the man had marginally dropped when she noticed the similarities between them.

"We already know that they're basically mercenaries. Willing to work for the highest bidder, they have no loyalty to any one kingdom. If we let them come, the neighboring lands could see this as us becoming their next employer, which could make them think we prepare for war." Marquess Schneizel, an old large man, that was nearing being classified as plump with a bald head; had the position they couldn't trust Blackdust given its history.

Elsa finally gathered her thoughts before clearing her throat and cutting off the next argument that Earl Alphonse had on the tip of his tongue. "We've manage to stay in high regard with our neighbors and taken a stance of neutrality when there is conflict, it would be hard pressed to be accused of war preparation. Despite the deeds Blackdust seem to have done in the past, they've been inactive for the last five years. Surely much has change within that time, and King Alrick only wishes to thank us for our allowance of trade. Inviting them to our Winter Solstice gathering gives them the chance to mingle with the other visiting dignitaries. We'll be able to gauge the relations between all the kingdoms and then decide what is best for us."

There came nods of agreement from Alphonse and two slightly younger men next to him, however a man in his mid forties next to Marquess Schneizel slowly stood. "Your Majesty, five years is a flash for kingdom who've fought wars. The forces sent from Blackdust have made a lasting impression on their enemies, from barely recognizable bodies to burnt villages. Even if all these soldiers who committed heinous acts were all dead, those who survived the atrocities won't be likely to forgive after only five years. Bringing them all in one place, could cause tensions to flair until they explode. And should anything happen to any dignitaries, while in our care could be disastrous."

A low chuckle coming from a round man with brown hair sitting next to Alphonse, got the standing advisor's attention. "Duke Eren, with no disrespect, how would you know about these supposed atrocities. As it been stated, there is very little information about Blackdust. Had these acts taken place, there would be more than one kingdom already on its way to declare war on the small kingdom. If this had happen, we'd know about it since we're its closest neighbor besides the Southern Isle. However there hasn't been one report of anyone setting sail for the island so it's safe to assume no wishes to go to war with them. Instead is likely they find them more useful as means to an end, which could also benefit us if her Majesty deems it so. Your worries only extend to the care of our guest which have always been sufficient." Earl Edward explained.

Duke Eren's eye twitched in what seemed to be either irritation or anger, Elsa couldn't tell, at being dismissed so easily. Knowing this was no place to have an outburst the Duke sat back down and crossed his arms in front of his barrel chest. Seeing the opposition against inviting Blackdust weakening the third council member next to Edward decided to voice his opinion. "If things go well, then we could gain more allies through Blackdust, not for military means of course but through trade. Consider it, if they have indeed been sent to the corners of the world, they will have an idea of the other kingdoms and what we could gain from befriending them. We could also have Blackdust vouch for our trade to secure more allies for Arendelle so that we could even more goods. This is an opportunity we cannot afford to throw away carelessly."

Elsa had considered that possibility but she shot it down because she still had no idea about Blackdust's intentions, and one shouldn't make promises they weren't sure about. Half of her council seemed to agree with Earl Theoden while the other two members seemed to abandon their attempts to argue until the last man next to the Marquess spoke.

"And what would happen if all the atrocities did occur? What would we do if this Prince Ahimoth has less than honorable intentions for Arendelle?" That WAS the crux of their current predicament for Blackdust, she needed to know if this kingdom was a danger to Arendelle. Because if it was, then she needed to protect her people. A plan began to form in her head as she looked to Marquess Rudolf.

"Your concerns are well found, which is why I suggest we send for them to visit early to give us time to learn about their intentions. If they are forthcoming enough about their ties to other kingdoms perhaps we will allow them to attend the Winter Solstice gathering. Will that satisfy you gentlemen?" Of course none of them would openly challenge their queen however they saw sense in her proposal. Enough to agree to the idea for the time being.

When she got nods from her councilmen, she stood and overlapped her hands before inclining her head to them, a sign that they were all free to go. When the men all left, Elsa sighed before running a hand through her hair and sagging her shoulders.

"I need some chocolate."

Anna was sitting in the barn watching Kristoff load his new sleigh with more and more supplies for his trip to the North Mountain. During the summer he had been mostly away conducting his ice business all on his lonesome, leaving the princess in the same amount of company. Sure she had Olaf and Elsa to keep her company but Kristoff was special, he was _hers_. So him being gone for days at a time did dampen her mood from time to time but it would brighten up when he returned with a loving hug she'd always get from him.

With winter approaching he'd would take a break from work and spend most of his time in Arendelle so she was excited for that. He had just two more months of work and then he was all hers for half a year, the thought made her squeal on the inside. Once in a while, she'd actually join him on his trips to "help" which mostly consisted of her spending an entire day working on getting one block of ice with no help. It was a spectacle to be sure, Kristoff would offer to help her after every block he loaded but she was adamant in getting her own ice. As time went by she began getting faster at retrieving ice, she could get three in one day. This may not be much compared to Kristoff's twenty-two, but he would always offer encouragement and praise saying "This is the best ice i've ever seen, that includes your sister's ice palace."

Anna loved that about Kristoff, he was always supportive with her in everything she did. He'd go ridiculous lengths to get her to smile, he once made her an ice sculpture, it was an _abomination_ but she could read out etched on it that it had her and his initials on it in a heart. They always had a good time whenever they were around each other, but recently those times began to lessen.

She watched with a frown as he grabbed a rifle and pouch of bullets then put them in the passenger seat of the sleigh before beginning to tie everything down. Recently there have been reports of bandit activity along the mountain trail, Elsa had ordered her guards to patrol trail to mediate this but so far there were no reports of their camp found. Kristoff instantly put a stop to Anna coming along with him, much to Elsa's relief. It had taken both him and her sister to convince her to stay in Arendelle, at least until they dealt with the threat.

When Anna confessed her concern for Kristoff, the mountain man replied that the path he took had guards patrolling it and he had a rifle with him just in case. This did nothing to placate her so he promised her that he'd only do half a day's work and be home that night until winter hit. That seemed to convince the princess to reluctantly let him go but she'd always come down from the castle to see him off.

"Alright all done, how's that feel Sven?" The reindeer made a satisfied groan before the mountain man turned toward Anna who was sitting on a bench with a frown still on her face. Kristoff sighed as he walked up to her and kneeled so they were eye level. "You know I'm gonna be fine right?"

The redhead fixed him with a glare that screamed "You don't know that so stop saying that I should know." Kristoff rubbed the back of his neck before taking her hands in his and looking her in the eye. Her eyes softened but a frown was still present on her beautiful face.

"Yeah I know, if I were you I'd be doing the same thing. I'll be careful, don't need your feisty-pants marching up the mountain and hitting all those bandits with my guitar, I still can't get that string to tighten after you used it on that wolf." Anna chuckled at his joke before squeezing his hands a little tighter.

"Its true love." The mountain man nodded with a smile before giving her a chaste kiss on her lips. He then put her hands to his chest toward his heart. "I know, which is why I keep coming back." Anna finally smiled as she then heard the town bell ring that signaled the day had started. The mountain man gave one last smile as he let go of her hands and mounted the sleigh.

Pulling up toward the entrance of the barn, he gave her one last wink before saying. "Save me some chocolate when I get back this time." He then spurred Sven on and the two were off, leaving Anna waving in the stable.

"Not a chance."

The sun finally began to show itself, however to him it might as well be hidden. His eyes were heavy with exhaustion, walking all day and night was not easy on an empty stomach. His mind was broken so long ago that the only reason he drove forward was because his body was on autopilot. It moved on its own accord regardless of the diminishing brain activity that should be controlling it.

He had one objective at the start of his trek; escape. He succeeded however, he needed to get far away so they couldn't find him. He arrived on top of a mountain far away from where he started but he still wanted to go further. Unfortunately, his body decided to give out and the last thing his mind could barely register was the image of what seemed to be a palace made of ice. Such things would be considered impossible, but with what he's seen and been through in his life; a palace made of ice wasn't that mind boggling.

**Hey what's up guys hope you like my prologue of my newest fic Hidden in Black Ice please stay tuned and hopefully I can drop another chapter soon. Please drop a fav and review and i'll catch y'all later. **


	2. Chapter 2

Kristoff and Sven were already on their way back to Arendelle after one of their last days ice harvesting. So far it went the exact same as usual, they quit early to avoid being out after it got too dark. The guards' patrol route only began halfway up the mountain they wanted to get to the first checkpoint to lower the risk of them running into any bandits. They were barely started when a gunshot rang out and hit the side of Kristoff's sleigh.

They were both shocked but knowing better than to stop and make themselves a bigger target, Sven picked up the pace while going off the path. If they could limit their exposure to their attackers then they stood a better chance at getting away. The mountain man picked up his rifle and loaded it then tried to get an eye on who attacked him. He couldn't make out behind the thick trees but he definitely saw the barrel a puff of white smoke as another shot hit the side of his new sleigh.

With more than a little irritation and anger, the mountain man tried to line his weapon to where he thought he saw movement. Taking a deep breath and exhaling like the guard captain back at Arendelle instructed him, he pulled the trigger. The sound of a horse shrieking before a muted crunch could be heard, he knew that he got one of them. His moment of pride was cut short as a horse smashed into the other side of his sleigh and he felt beefy hands crash into his shoulders. For once, Kristoff thanked the trolls for being so heavy and always jumping on his back, he was able to push himself up with some effort and turned to face his opponent.

Yellow eyes, broken teeth, and grimy hair was all he could see as the bandit struggled to retain his balance on the moving sleigh. Not giving him the oppertunity, Kristoff kicked him right off and watched with little sympathy as the horse trampled him before falling over. Turning back to collect his rifle, he was about to reload it when Sven made a noise to get his attention. The mountaineer looked ahead and could barely make out the outline of body sticking out of the snow. Normally, he'd assume it was poor soul who froze to death and would've passed him by but knowing there were bandits running after him he didn't want to be wrong and leave the poor guy at their mercy.

Groaning, he leaned over the side and as the body got closer he snatched the back of the shirt and pulled the prone body into the back. Resolving to check on the status of his occupant later, Kristoff spurred Sven on knowing that they were about a mile and a half from the first checkpoint. Unfortunately the half of that last mile was open decline, meaning the farther away he got from the bandits the better chance he had at them missing. It would also get him closer to the guards at the checkpoint who would see them emerge from the forest.

He was almost clear of the trees when another gunshot rang out but this time a groan of pain emerged from behind him. Looking back, his occupant was grasping his shoulder and was slowly beginning to sit up. "Hey stay down!" His occupant didn't listen and was already propped up against the back of the front seat looking behind them for their attackers.

"There are four coming, maybe eighty meters away, we have to pick them off while we still have tree cover." The voice was raspy and clearly male, it didn't sound like he was an old man, just that he hadn't eaten or drank anything. Kristoff was about to tell him that their tree cover was about to be gone but another gunshot zipped past his ear and hit Sven in the leg. The reindeer instantly went down and sent the sleigh with them both swinging over before hitting the ground on its side. Luckily the sleigh covered the tree of them from the next hail of gunshots, but the sound of hooves crunching through snow got louder as the bandits got closer.

Kristoff quickly cut the ropes to his friend and pulled Sven so that he was against the sleigh as well then began reloading it as he sat next to the injured man. "Look after Sven alright, I'll deal with these assholes." He hoped he sounded more sure than he did in his head but a hand on his shoulder stopped him from leaning out of their cover. When he turned, Kristoff finally was able to get a good look at the stranger, his tan unshaven face was down so his brown hair covered his eyes. He seemed to be around his age, somewhat smaller than him but taller than Anna,his clothing consisted of a thin brown jacket and pants with black boots.

_How is he not shivering. _

It wasn't as cold as it could've been in winter but it was still cold enough for water to freeze after a few minutes. However there was no sign of discomfort on the man's face whatsoever. He even looked over to his shoulder where he assumed to have been shot, from what he could tell there was little blood dripping from the wound. The man stood up to his full height before leaning his head out to see the first of the bandits almost reaching their position.

"Wait until the third guy passes and shoot them from behind." Before Kristoff could even ask what he meant, the man raced out from behind their cover and the mountaineer heard a horse neighing in shock as a body flew past his sleigh. Before he could look out to see what happened the man flew past on the horse with three more bandits following behind him. Kristoff was shocked but remembered the man's words and took aim, two of the bandits were closing in on the man so he dared not aim at them in fear of hitting his ally. Instead he took aim at the one trailing behind who seemed to be trying to get a clear shot with the flintlock in his hand.

Exhaling a breath he pulled the trigger and to his dismay watched as the bandit flinched as the round flew past him. Turning back to see the mountaineer, he changed targets and began to ride back to the downed sleigh. Quickly searching for the pouch of ammunition he had Kristoff hit the ground when a round hit the sleigh behind him. Abandoning his search, he pulled Sven to the other side of the sleigh and readied his rifle as a blunt weapon waiting for the bandit to ride by. He didn't have to wait long, as soon as he saw the horse's head he swung his rifle at where the rider should be. He was granted a sickening crack as the rifle hit something hard and he heard a groan as the bandit hit the ground.

Looking from the side of the sleigh he was happy to see the bandit on his back groaning in pain. When he tried to sit up, the bandit was met with a rifle butt to the face knocking him out completely. Kristoff looked back to Sven and seeing his friend ok, he searched the body for some ammunition, when he found some he reloaded his rifle and looked back out toward where his companion rode off to.

What he saw made him lower his weapon, the man was already walking back with two horses trailing behind him. The mountaineer got up from his crouched position and approached the man with a raised eyebrow. The man, who Kristoff could finally see, had deep blue eyes that held some concern towards him.

"You alright?"

The mountaineer tried not to laugh but a disbelieving chuckled escaped his lips.

_Am I alright? I'm not the one who was shot and had to fight off two bandits at the same time._

Usually, he'd might've answered with sarcasm but given the concern in the man's eyes began to deepen he answered sincerily. "I'm good, more worried about Sven and you. You two were shot." The man smiled in relief.

"Well I'm ok, we should look after your reindeer. I brought these horses back to tie to your sleigh so your reindeer could rest." The man held out a rein that Kristoff took as they walked over to the sleigh. Upon reaching Sven, the mountaineer checked his leg and was happy to see the round went cleanly through. Handing the man the reins again, Kristoff rummaged through the wreckage of his supplies before finding medical supplies. He tossed some bandages toward the man before going to work on Sven. With a little time the reindeer was back on its hooves helping the two men push over the sleigh.

When they got it in its correct orientation, Kristoff helped Sven into the back while the man gathered the remainder of their supplies and tied the horses to the sleigh. Before long the mountaineer was in the driver's seat and spurred the horses back on the trail. After a few minutes the two could make out the outline of Arendelle's guards patrolling the area. Kristoff was more than happy to see the familiar sight but a gasp in pain made him turn his head toward his companion.

The man had his hand against his shoulder and was hunched over using the front of the sleigh as support to not fall over. "Hey are you sure you're ok, you don't look so good." The man straightened out before turning back to the mountaineer.

"I'm just a little tired, my name is Edward but most people call me Ed, what's yours?" The mountaineer raised a concern eyebrow but answered. "I'm Kristoff and the reindeer's Sven. if you haven't guessed we're ice harvesters." Edward nodded as they pulled up to the guard who was waving them over.

"Master Kristoff, is everything alright? We heard gunshots and were about to send a party to investigate." The mountaineer began to explain what happened as Edward felt his strength begin to leave his body. He was still beyond tired and the only reason he was up in the first place was that gunshot triggering his survival instincts. That was always something he should be thankful for, his body put up a damn good fight to stay alive but with no threat the world began to dim again.

Kristoff seemed to notice Edward beginning to slump over and before he could stop him, the man had fell over the side of the sleigh with his eyes closed. This worried the three males as Kristoff and the guard rushed over to check on the young man who was falling unconscious. The last thing that crossed his mind before his world became black was an annoyed thought.

_Always the weak will._

Anna was sitting in the parlor with Elsa and Olaf both were roasting marshmallows next to the fireplace. The princess smiled at her older sister knowing that she was only doing it to adjust the snowman's flurry so he wouldn't melt. Her sister had been afraid of abilities for so long but now that she knew that love was the answer she began to slowly embrace them. Olaf helped, he was the first thing that showed her powers weren't a curse. Her love for the snowman was his lifeline, literally in the summer, and she had an infinite capacity for the little guy.

The two sisters began to reconnect after being apart so long and the love between them was strong. They would have snow fights, bake chocolate in the kitchen, prank each other it was just like when they were kids. Of course, all of this only happened when Elsa had spare time, as queen her main directive was running Arendelle. She managed to sometimes spare Anna some of the more dull aspects of being royalty but being queen was a full time job. On really busy days they wouldn't see each other, that's when dinner came into play. Since becoming more like a family with no closed doors, Anna suggested they had a family dinner every week.

This included Kristoff, Olaf, Kai, Gerda, and even Sven who had to sit off to the side to avoid a mess. They'd all talk, joke, and bond over dinner. All around, they all were as close as family now. She honestly wished that things would stay this way forever and based on the way her sister talked to Olaf like a doting mother, she felt the same.

Kristoff should've been here by now, but anything could've slowed him down a bit so she tried not to worry too much. She needed to remind him of tomorrow's dinner so he could make sure that he came back early. That made another thought cross her mind, sure her world was perfect right now, she had Elsa back, a close bond with everyone in the castle, and a loving boyfriend that made her want to squeal.

_But what about Elsa?_

Her older sister thought she could hide the flash in her eyes everytime Kristoff would sweep her off her feet in a hug, but Anna was always watching. There was a _tiny _amount of jealously and small bite of loneliness in her eyes but it would disappear the next time she'd blink turning into a bright smile. The redhead knew if she'd ask the blonde about it, she'd deny it or dismiss it with a offhand comment.

_She won't even talk about boys, __**boys!**_

Every once in a while they'd have a sleepover and Anna had tried to see if Elsa had thought any of the men she'd seen looked cute at least. Elsa would laugh say she hadn't notice and change the subject or maybe blow some snow down her pajamas. Anna found the love of her life and it completed her world, she wanted the same for her big sister. However, knowing Elsa, she'll probably only marry for Arendelle, not for love.

She always put the queen first before anything else, she was a devoted queen to her people and they loved her for it. Anna just wished she could go out and find her own happiness regardless if it benefitted Arendelle or not.

"Hey Anna, want a marshmallow? They're super yummy at least I think so since I have no tastebuds." The redhead laughed at the snowman before coming up on his other side and sitting down next to him. "Of course I'd like one." The snowman clapped his stick hands before grabbing a marshmallow and with his actual hand, stuck it in the fire. Elsa quickly pulled the snowman away from the fire and put out the flames beginning to eat his hand with the flick of her fingers.

If Olaf had noticed the look of panic on their faces he didn't say because he held out the marshmellow to Anna with goofy smile on his face. The platinum blonde let out a breath as she watched her sister take the treat before turning the snowman to face in her.

"Olaf I keep telling you that just because you have a flurry doesn't mean you should mess with fire. Your hands are very easy to burn, next time use a stick alright?" The snowman chuckled before nodding. Anna rolled her eyes as she began to eat her snack and three began to sit in silence in front of the fireplace. The mood was comfortable but her previos thought was still fresh in her mind and she eyed Elsa sideways.

"So Elsa…" The platinum blonde gave the redhead her attention with a smile. "Yes Anna?"

_Go for broke._

"See any cute boys today?" Her older sister's smile dropped into a frown as she huffed and began to roast another marshmallow on her stick. Usually she'd wave off the question but after that meeting with her council about Blackdust, her patience did not have a proper chance to replenish. So instead of answering she thought maybe if she ignored her sister enough she'd drop it, if not she could always drop snow on her.

Seeing her sister's frown and lack of an answer, Anna replicated her reaction leaving the two looking identical. Olaf turned his head to the both of them, shrugged his shoulders and did the same making the three have the same expression on their faces. After a while, he whispered.

"Why are we all frowning?"

Before either of the sisters could answer a rapid series of knocks pounded against the door. "Queen Elsa, Princess Anna, Master Kristoff has returned but he brought someone who's hurt!" The two sisters raced to their feet and opened the door to see a guard huffing as he made a quick bow in their presence. Anna asked first with fear in her eyes. "Is Kristoff hurt?"

The guard shook his head. "No he only seemed to have some scrapes and bruises, the reindeer had bloody bandages around his leg, and the stranger was unconscious in the sleigh. I can take you to them right away." Elsa nodded as the four hurried to the courtyard where Kristoff was hauling a man over his shoulder jogged toward them. Anna was first to reach him and quickly looked him over making sure there wasn't any huge injuries on his person, after her sweep she fixed a worry gaze at him.

"Kristoff! Are you ok?" The mountaineer nodded his head before giving her a one arm hug. "I'm fine, if it wasn't for Edward, I'd be less fine. Me and Sven were attacked on our way down and found this guy almost buried in the snow. He helped us fight off the bandits but was shot in the shoulder, I didn't see a lot of blood but he passed out as soon as we made it to the checkpoint." Anna gave him a tight hug as Elsa beckoned a stretcher to come over and collect the man off her sister's boyfriend. When Kristoff laid him down, Elsa was able to get a good look at his face. There was facial hair growing haphazardly as if he hadn't had a chance to shave his face, judging by the way it looked, he seemed to usually be cleanly shaven. His brown hair was unkept with some of it covering his eyes.

_Perhaps if he cleaned up he would look somewhat cute._

Elsa mentally slapped herself for thinking that way before clearing her throat and asking the guards to take the man toward the infirmary. She would _not _give her a sister a reason to pursue their last conversation.

**Hey guys, new chapter after one day, I'm really excited for this fanfic so I hope you guys read and review. Until next time. **


	3. Chapter 3

_The village was burning, the smoke filled the night sky so completely not even the full moon could pierce the darkness. On the ground ran a river of blood produced by the multitude of bodies laid strewn around with no discrimination between man, woman, and child. The only sound that rang throughout the night was that of a sword piercing flesh with a dying scream. Men of the village ran to defend their burning homes but it was futile, they were killed before they could even see the hand holding the weapon. The only thing they could registered before joining thier dead friends and families was the flash of silver that rushed past them. _

_The sword gleamed in the fire's gaze, leaving behind no one alive. When all was said and done the village had grown deathly quiet, nothing but the crackling of fire filled the air. Concluding its work was done the sword turned to leave, only to hear the sound of a creak in a nearby house. Too loud and quick to be from the fire, with a languid finesse the murderous weapon stalked to the house. It was a simple one-story, a living room by the door with the kitchen leading out the back and rooms on the far side of the room. The fire had yet to reach the building so the sword took its time looking around for the source of the sound. _

_it cleared the living room, kitchen, and one of the rooms. The last place to check was the other room, pushing the door open the sword could see it was empty. Just a bed, desk, and drawer was in the room. Nothing was disturbed or out of place, it looked as no one had been here yet. The sword chuckled, it was a good attempt, had been a regular soldier they probably would've left. However, the sword could hear the breaths slow frightened breaths that were just under its feet. From the what it could tell there were two of them, judging by the depth and length the sword concluded one woman and child. _

_Without a care in the world, the sword plunged into the floor and was rewarded with a gush of blood before swiping the hidden door away to see them both. The woman had one hand to her bleeding shoulder and one arm around her child, no strength in her body to scream but more then enough in her eyes as she glared at him with deep blue eyes. The child, with the same eyes was frozen in fear, his own deep blue eyes as small as pinpricks that tracked the sword's edge. For a moment, none of them moved, perhaps the sword found some semblance of mercy and would let them go? _

_That was the last foolish thought the child had as he watched his mother's head fly off her shoulders and stared down the raised blade that began its descent to end the boy's life. _

Edward's eyes flew open as he shot up into a sitting position looking around wildly. He was in a large room with white beds that lined each other with dressers in between each of them. There were stands that had white screens to provide priavcy to those that needed. Turning to look around fully, he could see there was no one in the room with him, he seemed to be truly alone. Pulling the sheets that covered him, he swung his legs off the bed and landed on his bare feet. Looking down at himself, he realized he wasn't wearing a shirt anymore and that his shoulder had fresh nicely dressed bandages covering them. His tattered pants were still on but his boots had been removed and set to the side.

Deciding to leave them at his bedside, Edward walked to one of the many windows that lined the room. Reaching the sill he looked out to see a large courtyard with what seemed to be ice outlining the roofs allowing the sun to shine on the castle and causing it to sparkle. Beyond the bridge to the courtyard, there was a large town on the water, even from here Edward could see people going about thier business. He squinted and could see very few guards patrolling, some of them were even helping people with carry boxes around.

_This place is a very different from home. _

Before he could even think of the differences the door to the large room he was in opened and an older man stepped through it. He looked like a standard doctor; greying hair, white coat, glasses, etc. The man was reading something when he looked up to see his patient standing at the window sill.

"Hello, how are you feeling young man?" Edward was about to answer when his stomach roared in hunger causing the doctor to laugh. The young man scratched the back of his head as a blush spread along his cheeks in embarrassment at such a response. "I guess that answers that, I'll have the cooks whip up something for you to eat as well as have Gerda inform the servants that you require a bath. In the meantime can you stay here for a moment, I want to do a quick check up on you before I send you on your way." Edward nodded and watched the man walk away leaving, the young man alone once again.

_That's what he thinks._

A frown marred Edward's face as he thought about how much time could have elasped between him fainting and waking up now. The sun wasn't at the highest point in the sky so it was still in the morning. With the North Mountain in view from window, he could safely deduce that he was probably in Arendell, an extremely peaceful kingdom with virtually no enemies. Instead, they had an abundance of trade partners that docked in their harbor very often. Perhaps he could use one of them to go even farther away, but to do that he needed money which would be a chore all on its own.

That could come later, he should be focused on his body currently, its been days since he's last eaten. The brief flashes of strength before he falls unsconscious weren't random in the least. He knew someone would come soon after he awoke, had the doctor not arrived he'd been forced to relieve the entirety of that nightmare. One he's had for a very long time, and it still caused his heart to pulse in absolute rage. Edward didn't like to show his anger, it always ended badly for everyone around him when he lost control. Now, he let the anger flow through him, his veins appeared along his skin, his muscles shifted and condensed. With a simple calming breath, his the veins vanished and his muscles relaxed.

The best way of handling anger was to admit one was angry, once you've done so dispelling it becomes much easier. At first he tried to conceal and don't feel that ended in explosive bursts of absolute rage that left no one safe from his wrath. Now he had a firm grip on it.

_Most of the time._

He lost it last night with those bandits, he hoped the snow would bury their bodies deep enough that no one could see what he had done. He didn't want to be labled a monster here so soon, at least until he got some money. Money for supplies and safe passage to somewhere far away where he could live as he should, _alone._

_That's never going to happen._

His thoughts were interuppted when the doctor returned with a plump woman carrying a water pitcher and tray with a lid on top. Edward turn to greet them with a wave and accepted a cup from the doctor as well as some water from the woman. Nodding in thanks, the young man gulped the cup as his beyond dry throat welcomed the refreshing water. When the last of it slid down his throat, Edward went into a coughing fit that worried the two older adults and as they were about to go to pat his back, the young man grabbed the pitcher and began to down all of its contents.

The pitcher was at least a gallon and with wide eyes the doctor and maid watched Edward inhale it all without spilling a drop. After doing so, the young man let out a long breath and handed the pitcher to the woman with a smile. "Thank you, I was beyond thirsty." The woman nodded mutely and took it while offering the tray which the young man took with a smile as he went to sit back on the bed he woke up on. When he took off the lid, a plate of rice, soup, and some venison was offered to him. The meal didn't last long as he devoured it, suprisingly he ate like a gentlemen yet the pace he did so suggested that one meal wouldn't be enough to satisfy him.

The doctor was about to advise he slow down so he wouldn't throw it back up but it was too late. Edward was already wiping his mouth with a napkin and replaced the lid on the top of the tray. The smile on his face was almost childlike as his strength returned to him, without warning he jumped to his feet. "Thank you both for taking care of me but its time that I get going." Edward began putting his bare feet into the boots by the side of his bed and began to tuck in his tattered pants into his boots. The doctor getting over his shock put a hand on the young man's well muscled shoulder that was littered in scars. At first when he realized the multitude that spread all over the young man's torso, he wondered what kind of life his patient had lived to obtain them.

He was somewhat worried that when his patient would awaken he'd be somewhat of violent disposition, but so far he'd been polite and excited. He was like a male groomed version of the princess, the thought made the older man chuckle. "Take it easy youngster, you just got out of bed after being unconscious, plus you can't just walk around with no shirt on. I also said I wanted to check on your shoulder, to make sure you don't have any infection or anything."

Edward already knew there'd be no infection and for the state of his body, now that he'd eaten, he could go three days without rest but it would be smarter to play along. Nodding to the man, he sat back on the bed then offered him his wounded arm. Raising an eyebrow at how easy to young man followed insructions, he began to remove the bandages before turning back to the maid who had her eyes still wide. "Could you go grab a set of new clothes as well as prepare a bath for him in one of the rooms, I'd like to make him more presentable before informing the Queen he's awoken."

The maid blinked before getting ready to turn and hurry off to fulfill his instructions, as she did, she thought she saw a flash of red appear in the Edward's eyes before they returned to his deep blue eyes. When she looked back his eyes were still deep blue and he had a smile as he waved her goodbye. She gave him a polite smile before rushing off, leaving the two men to themselves. The doctor finished unwrapping the bandages to see the gunshot wound looking old and faded. It was as if it had already healed days ago, looking to the young man who was looking out the mirror with a smile on his face made the older man make a mental note to talk to the Queen later. "Well you seem to not need bandages anymore, your wound healed extradoinarily fast, this happened last night when you were attacked with Master Kristoff correct?"

Edward turned with a smile and nodded. "I've always been a quick healer, I'm more worried about Kristoff and Sven, I know he wasn't injured but still its hard to get over being attacked so quickly." The doctor nodded before leaning back and standing to his full height then giving the young man a calculating stare. "That is true but you seem to be handling it well." There was a beat for a moment as Edward held the man's stare with his own happier expression but on the inside…

_He knows something off, he's probing for something._

The young man shrugged before answering. "I'm used to it." Before the doctor could respond a knock was heard on the door. "The bath has been prepared with fresh clothes in the room, I'm ready to escort him there if he's ready." The doctor gave the young man a harder stare before gesturing to the door. "You seem fine, so I'll clear you to leave."

Edward nodded before walking to the door, but before he went through it he decided to give his caretaker one last thing. "I can' thank you enough for getting me back on my feet, hopefully I don't see you again, if I did, that would mean someone is hurt and that's something that should always be avoided." The doctor listened as he stared at the young man's back, his face was a blank canvas giving none of his thoughts away even though the young man couldn't see his face. "It was no problem, I hope you take it easy in the future."

_That's __**never **__going to happen._

Without another word, Edward walked through the doors and followed a different maid to the room they'd prepared. The doctor watched them leave and waited a moment before walking out and heading towards the Queen's study. Unaware that the young man heard his footsteps down the hall.

Edward was led to a guest room where the woman left him to his own devices, walking through the room into the bathroom he was surprised to see a porcelin tub. It was six feet long and was three feet wide, it was _huge _he could hardly imagine bathing in this on a daily basis. Having a lot of trade partners must've done wonders for their economy. To the side there was soap, towels, combs, brushes, as well as a shaving kit laid out for him. Stripping out of his clothes he let the water envelop his body and was instantly entranced with its warmth.

_Hope the Queen isn't waiting becuase this is going to take a while. _

Elsa was in her study going over some trade documents when she heard some knocks on the door. Replying with a quick 'come in', the doctor opened the door before closing it behind him then bowing to the Queen. "Your Magesty there is something I need to discuss with you concerning the patient you brought to me last night." Elsa stopped what she was going to look up to the doctor and nodded putting her documents to the side and clasping her hands on one another.

"Is there a problem with him Doctor Steward?" The older man in question, tried to find the right words to convey his thoughts but he was having some trouble. It must've been on his face because Elsa began to grow concerned as he the man finally found his words. "Physically speaking, the patient is fine, already on his feet and bathing right now your Highness. His wound has completely healed, there's only a slight scar that looks old. Your Magesty, gunshot wounds take weeks to heal not hours and there wasn't any movement he exhibited that was impeded by the wound."

Elsa was relieved to hear he hadn't died but was also interested at the news. Though its only been a year, most of her subjects accepted her abilities presented that things not considered possible just might be possiuble. Maybe this stranger had his own set of abilities, ones that allowed rapid healing. It was something she'd like to know, to see if there were others like her out there.

"That is interesting, what was your impression of him doctor?" The older man chuckled when he remembered how the young man acted when he awoke. "He's like a male version of the princess." Elsa couldn't help but chuckle at the thought also.

_Just what I needed, another one._

"You said he was bathing, right now?" The doctor nodded and watched Elsa stand and neatly stacked her documents before putting them in her desk. She walked around it before gesturing to the door. "Then I might as well get ready to recieve him in the throne room, thank you for treating him." Giving a bow, the doctor watched her leave him alone in the study.

Elsa was on her way to the throne room, with thoughts bouncing around in her head. She wondered how she'd ask if he was like her, and if he was were there others. She finally didn't have to feel alone in being born this way, she wanted to trade stories, experiences, and know what it was like to not be the only one in the room that everyone was cautious around. She was so proccupied with her thoughts she didn't even notice Anna who was calling for her as she blew past her without saying a word. It wasn't until, the brown haired woman shook her shoulder that the platinum blonde stopped in her tracks.

"You seem to have a lot on your mind, is there something wrong?" Elsa shook her head as she gestured Anna to walk with her. "No, I was just told our patient had awoken and was completely fine, better than fine, Anna that wound he recieved last night was completely healed. Doctor Steward said he never seen anything like it, maybe he's like me." There was hope in her sister's eyes as she said this. In the brunette's mind, it would be really cool to have someone like Elsa around.

_Maybe she'll notice how cute he is._

So for her sister's sake, she began to get excited as well. "Well what are we waiting for let's go see him, I wanna know too!" The brunette began tugging the blonde along not even knowing where they were supposed to see him. Elsa laughed before asking. "Anna do you even know where we're going?" That didn't stop the princess in the slightest. "No but we'll check every room if we have to find him!" The queen stopped her sister and pointed to a door to their left. "OR we could wait for him in the throne room, and ask the servants to bring him here."

That stopped Anna for a moment, she looked at her sister with an adorable frown. "But he could take FOREVER to get here!" Elsa patted her sister's head before walking through the door pulling her along. "All good things come to those who wait."

Edward had finished his bath and was currently grooming himself in front of a mirror. He shaved all of his facial hair, trimmed his side burns so they were at the top of his ears, cut the long hair that was covering his face before slicking it all back into a clean looking cut. Looking into the mirror, he felt professional and presentable. Putting everything where he found it, the young man changed into the clothes left out for him, which consisted of a white long sleeved collar shirt, with brown pants, black boots, and a beige buttoned vest. The only thing missing was a tie, making sure there was nothing out of place he walked to the door that led into the hallway and was surprised to see the same maid standing there.

Shame immediately crossed his features, he was in there for about thirty minutes he didn't want to keep someone waiting on him. Before he could apologize, the woman raised a hand with a kind smile. "Its alright, you seemed to have needed the time, you look very handsome now that you've cleaned up." A blush blossumed along the young man's cheeks as the maid gestured him to follow her. "The Queen awaits you in the throne room, and asked I bring you when you finished." Edward groaned when he heard that.

_So the Queen WAS waiting, what a great first impression. _

When the two arrived in front of the large door that led into the throne room, the young man entertained the thought of running away. He could be out Arendelle before the guards had the chance to mobilize, if he seriously wanted to, but he shook his head. So far he hadn't done anything wrong so he shouldn't be in any trouble but at the same time he noted the multiple windows he passed on the way here, just in case.

"Knock three times and when told enter and bow to the Queen before speaking." Edward nodded his head as the maid left and left him alone at the door. Steeling his resolve, the young man knocked confidently three times and waited for promission to enter. He heard a melodious voice beckon him inside and when he opened the doors, his eyes were drawn to the woman sitting on the throne.

White perfect skin glowed with the sunlight entering the room, platinum blonde hair flowed like a beautfil mane, her soft smile made his body shake, but her eyes, it was her eyes that made his body go incredibly stiff. They were the color of a bright open sky filled with happiness and great wonders. He could've stared at this image for days, would've if given the chance but his mind forced itself to focus and he remembered that he hadn't bowed yet.

"Your highness." He rushed to bow and hoped he hadn't angered the goddess before him. He could hear her melodious voice lightly chuckle as she cleared her throat. "You may rise." Standing to his height the first thing he noticed was a set of slightly duller sky blue eyes face to face with his. His mind must've been preoccupied with seeing the queen that he hadn't registered her footsteps until they were inches apart.

"Hi I'm Anna, Kristoff said your name was Edward, where you from, how do you feel, do you have powers like Elsa?" The young man wasn't sure what to say, he only looked at the queen to see her put her forehead in her hand and shake her head. Attempting to gather his thoughts, Edward cleared his throat before speaking.

"I'm from somewhere very far away, I feel fine, and what do you mean powers like Elsa's?" The woman in front of him frowned in confusion before taking a step back. She found it hard to believe he's never heard of her sister's abilities, she was under the assumption after last year everyone knew about them. Maybe he lived so far away he didn't know.

"You've never heard of the Snow Queen of Arendelle?" He HAS heard of that name along his travels. As the rumors went, Snow Queen had the ability to create ice and snow with the flick of her fingers. She was powerful so powerful in fact she cursed her home with an eternal winter but thawed it out of mercy. He was never able to get a name but all he knew was that she was the queen of Arendelle. Edward then had the urge to slap his forhead, the queen was sitting literally ten feet from him, how was it that the first thought that popped into his head upon seeing her was how beautiful she looked?

"Oh yes, I have, it seems my mind hasn't really had time to catch up yet." The brunette shrugged before circling him excitedly. "Aww that's fine, that happens to me a lot, I usually act before I think, Kristoff and Elsa always tell me I should think before i act but what's the fun in that you know?" Edward chuckled and tried to follow the ball of energy around him by turning his body.

"I understand what you mean, my older brother always had to drag me out of trouble when I rushed into it without thinking. But I can't deny the best and most fun times of my life were before he caught me." Anna nodded and continued asking questions back to back with Edward answering back to back. It seemed those two would've talked all night if Elsa hadn't loudly cleared her throat to get them to stop.

"Ok Anna, I'm sure Edward has answered enough questions for now, perhaps we should get back to why I called him here in the first place?" Anna frowned in thought before bouncing off to sit next to her sister. "You mean if he had powers like yours? He hasn't answered since clarifying that he knew about you."

Edward choose that time to intervene. "Your Majesties, my skill set does not branch into the realms of an Elemental's. All of my abilities are anchored to what is humanly possible."

_That's a quite a stretch. _

The two women raised an eyebrow in confusion as Elsa choose to spoke first. "What do you mean 'Elemental'?" Now it was the young man's turn to raise his.

"Elemental, you know, a person with the ability over an element of nature." The two sisters have never heard of the word before and were instantly curious about it but Elsa could learn all of that later, she just wanted to know one thing.

"So there are others out there with the abilities like mine?" Edward shrugged his shoulders like it was a weird thing to ask.

"Of course there are."

**Well that's chapter 3 I hope you all enjoyed it. I'll try to drop another one next weekend. Hope you read and review it plus tell your friends, the more readers the better. **


	4. Chapter 4

With that simple sentence, Elsa's mind went into overdrive with the prospect that she now _knew _there were more out there like her. She honestly wanted to sit down with this man, Edward, and get him to tell her everything he knew. While it was disappointing that he himself wasn't like her, he seemed to know more about people like her and that was more than enough. Fighting to keep her voice steady, she asked him hopefully sounding dignified.

"So you've encountered these 'Elementals' as you've called be, before have you?" Edward scratched his head a little bit trying to find the right words to answer her question. While it was true he _has _met Elementals before, the ones he had the misfortune of meeting were not kind. Throughout his travels to distant lands, Elementals were beings who used their abilities to spread destruction wherever they pleased.

He's seen villages burned with a sweep of a man's fingers, boats struck by lightning with the snap of another, towns swept away under a tidal wave at a woman's howl of anger. So when he heard of the Snow Queen of Arendelle he automatically assumed she'd be like the others and he didn't want to give her a reason of unleashing her abilities on him. However from what he seen in the town, the citizens were happy and her kingdom had peace, one he could never dream of having from his home.

Perhaps she wasn't like the others he'd met in his travels but looks could be deceiving, he knew that _very _well. A dark chuckle went through his mind as he considered who could be the bigger danger in this room, him or her. Part of him actually wanted to find out but he already gathered his thoughts and spoke with precision.

"Yes I have, mostly in distant lands. They are more well known if you travel across the vast ocean, however I would advise against that your Majesty." The Queen raised an eyebrow in confusion and intrigue. "And why would you advise against it?" Edward's next reply came out without thought.

"Because I assume you enjoy being alive and not burned on a stake."

A large gas filled the room at his blunt answer and when he looked into the eyes of the two sisters, his response fully dawned on him. He went straight to his knees and bowed his head so he wouldn't have to look into Elsa's inviting eyes. "Your Majesties, please forgive my outburst, I didn't mean to be so openly disrespectful. I will accept any punishment you seem fit, all I ask you consider forgiving my words."

When Elsa heard his response she felt a chill go down her spine, she only truly felt the cold when something frightened her. Like when her powers were revealed, Anna being struck by her magic _twice, _and when those Weselton guards had tried killing her. A hand laid on her shoulder as she looked up to see Anna softly smiling at her, placing her own hand on top of her sister's she shared one back before looking at the man bowing before her. Gathering her royal bearing, Elsa spoke with an even tone that concealed her thoughts.

"You may rise, your response was just unexpected." Edward raised to his full height and stood at attention, now taking extra care to control his words with practiced precision. Elsa took notice that the man's posture was similar to how her guards would stand when they were addressed by royalty or their captain: back straight, eyes forward, heels together, and hands at side. Whoever this man was, it was possible that either he was familiar with royalty or was militarily trained.

Putting that thought aside she was curious to see where he stood when it came to Elementals. So far he hadn't expressed any disdain toward her when he realized she was the Snow Queen, perhaps he was cautious to reveal his true feelings in front of her? Elsa had accepted that others may be fearful of her and her powers but she resolved as long she had the people she cared most for then it wouldn't bother her. At least, that's she told Anna but deep down if she were being totally honest, she wished people could see past her powers and just see her, not the queen of Arendelle, no just see _Elsa_.

"So I take it these Elementals as you call us aren't very welcomed around the world?" Edward kept his eyes forward as to not give away what he was thinking to the Queen. There were a great many people who would run from a known Elemental rather than embrace them, hell some would label them as demons and attempt to purge them.

_If only they knew…_

Pushing his own thoughts away, Edward spoke in a calm measured tone. "Humans generally don't welcome things that they do not understand, some may embrace the unknown while others view it as a threat. Elementals are still largely unknown, there have only been a handful of sightings over the years. These sighting have resulted in disaster for both the Elemental in question and the people pursuing them, as such, humans will not react warmly towards Elementals given the past. There are assuredly many like you, who feel that they should remain in hiding to keep themselves safe, from those who would see them harm for being different."

Elsa's heart deflated at the answer, she had hoped that her kind would be more welcomed out in the world. However it seemed that even with her shaky coronation, she had gotten a happier ending than others like her. During her first year as Queen she tried so improve the lives of her people so much to make up for what she had done, and for the most part she succeeded. The economy was growing, education bloomed, their welfare was impeccable, and there was virtually no crime. She'd walk around to interact with her people and she was generally met with warm smiles of gratitude. When it came to her trade partners, she was stern yet fair and tried to accommodate any of chose to trade with her. As a result, Arendelle had no personal enemies, not counting Weselton, who was kept in check by the neighboring kingdoms allied with her.

Even the Southern Isles had sent their apologies for Hans' attempt to take the throne and asked she not cut off their trade agreement. Elsa could never truly forgive Hans for what he did, not to her, but to _Anna, _however she couldn't exactly blame an entire kingdom for one prince's actions.

_A duke on the other hand..._

Regardless she was given forgiveness for setting off an eternal winter in her own home, so she had a healthy respect of the act of forgiveness. This had made her a benevolent Queen devoted to Arendelle that was loved by the people, but she always worried that her powers frightened them. She couldn't help the next question that came out of her mouth, but she expected an unfavorable answer.

"And how do you feel around people like me?"

Edward actually considered the question, he remembered all the encounters he's had over the years and thought about them. Personally he had no problem against Elementals, every person had the capacity to commit great evil or good, regardless of what abilities they possessed. That was a sobering fact of life, one could never know the difference between an angel or monster sitting next to them until that person deemed it necessary to show it.

_Careful, you're beginning to self project._

That went double for him, Edward could guarantee he's done far more evil then the platinum beauty could fathom. He may have done it out of following orders but the sin remains committed by him and they'll never go away. So when he considered an Elemental to him, he didn't distinguish them from any other human he met.

Shrugging his shoulders, he answered. "The same as I feel around everyone else, nothing more, nothing less."

That wasn't the answer Elsa expected yet her spirit lifted a little. This man seemed to not hold any negativity toward her or people like her, like he felt that she was still as human as the rest of them. If he thought so then maybe all was not lost, perhaps during the Winter Gathering, she could somehow improve the outlook of Elementals from neighboring kingdoms. If she could find a place with her people in Arendelle then she'd like to offer the same for any out there that was like her. With the idea in mind, she wanted to speak with Edward later to describe his encounters with people like her and where so she could get an idea where they could be hiding.

"Well it's nice to hear that someone not from Arendelle, doesn't fear Elementals as you've described." Edward raised his hands to his sides while shrugging. "You're all still human, no one is above or beneath another, at least, that's what I learned in my travels."

Anna finally gathered her nerve to speak after the conversation took a more somber turn, finally spoke. "So where have you traveled from and where are you going?" The man considered her question a moment before turning and answering her.

"I've come a very long way, it took me weeks to get this far and I still plan to go even further. I planned on staying here long enough to earn some money for a ship to take me to Blackdust then I'll keep heading south." Elsa's eyes widened as he mentioned Blackdust but chose not to say anything at this time, deciding to bring it up later with him privately. Anna raised an eyebrow before speaking one thing popped up into her mind.

"You said you'd keep going south after leaving Blackdust but that's just open ocean where do you plan on stopping?" Edward eyes grew somewhat dull as he looked down with a self deprecating smile that stuck a cord in Elsa's heart. It was the same look she had on her coronation day when she told Anna that things couldn't stay the same as they did in the past. The look of torment that came from one's self when they wished they were different than what they were now.

"Hopefully I'll finally find a place where I can be alone." Edward honestly didn't mean to say that, but the more he thought as to why he was traveling, the heavier the weight on his shoulder grew. He had done so much, and he couldn't be around other people, he didn't want to be called a monster again. He said it enough to himself more than enough times on a daily basis.

"Being alone won't make what you feel go away." Edward eyes widened as he looked up to stare into Elsa's deep blue eyes that radiated compassion and kindness. The way she looked at him made the weight disappear entirely and he could breathe easier. It felt like she knew what he was feeling and he couldn't help but be mesmerized by her voice.

"At first you may feel that all your problems and fears are too far away to chase you, but they'll always be right there until you face them. You may feel that being alone is what's best for everyone but all you're doing is distancing yourself from the people who care about you and you end up hurting them when all you want to do is protect them." Hearing her words and the sincerity in her voice, made Edward's heart flutter but it also brought a fresh stab of pain when he thought of his loved ones.

_There isn't anyone left in this world to care about. _

Some of the weight returned on his shoulders, however he was still able to make a brighter smile as he bowed spoke sincerely. "Thank you, it's been a long time since someone's tried helping me." Elsa smiled at his words while Anna began bouncing over to him. When she got close, she took the man's hands in her own and made him look up at her.

"Of course we would help you, after all you saved Kristoff last night. I can't thank you enough for doing so, he means the world to me and when I heard he was attacked by bandits my entire world began to shatter. Elsa was the only teather I had to keep my world from falling apart. I was so relieved when I found out he was ok, and it was all thanks to you." She spoke with an enormous amount of gratitude that a few tears managed to slip out from the corners of her eyes as she smiled.

Edward couldn't help but smile back at her before nodding. It's been a long time since someone has thanked him for something and it was nice to finally hear it. Elsa stood off her throne and approached the two of them with a smile before standing a few feet away from them. "My sister is right, we cannot thank you enough for rescuing Kristoff, as such, I was hoping you'd join us for our family dinner tonight." Anna turned back with Edward's hands still in hers and began to bounce in joy.

"Elsa that's a great idea!" The young man could only chuckle as he accepted their invitation. Before anyone else could speak, a knock came at the door, Elsa called for them to enter and behind it was Kai. He made a respectful bow before addressing the queen. "Your Majesty, the captain of the guard has requested your presence in your study, I believe he wishes to discuss the growing bandit problem."

The platinum beauty nodded as she turned back Edward and Anna. "It seems a queen's work is never done, I'll leave you in my sister's capable hands." She then turned to leave with Kai, closing the large doors behind her. Elsa walked the halls behind her friend until she arrived in her personal study with the captain of her guard waiting for her. Walter Stonewell was just as his name suggested; stalwart, large in stature, and deadset in his convictions.

He was made captain of the guard when her father ruled, and remained to protect Arendelle long after his passing. Elsa had very few interactions with the man, given he spent most of his time ensuring Arendelle's safety or training new recruits. She remembered the first time she had met the man as a child, he was so tall and imposing that she squeaked when he looked down at her. She hadn't seen him since until a few days after her coronation, she was still forced to look up at his towering stature, however she realized that he was a just man who only sought to protect. So she was able to form a friendship with the man with the interest of protecting her people.

He was an older gentlemen, yet she had seen him training her guards, he was unmatched when paired against them. His large stature gave him overwhelming power compared to the average person and his agility was completely unexpected given his size. She remembered her father telling her he was a foreigner who hailed from a faraway kingdom that was consumed by war. His desire to protect others stemmed from the atrocities he'd seen so long ago. He may not be the most cheerful of people yet he was fair and just, qualities her father couldn't pass over when selecting the captain of the guard.

The man made a respectful bow before addressing her. "Your Majesty, due to the increase in bandit attacks outside the city walls we've set up patrols as you've instructed yet have not found the bandit camp. If we continue to just patrol the area then we risk giving them a chance to regroup and pose a greater threat than they would otherwise. As such, I suggest we deploy more of troops to search the mountain for their whereabouts."

Elsa had considered organizing search parties however that required her to pull guards from the city to do so. And while she was sure that her people would remain safe should she sent them, she didn't want to cause a panic with guards leaving the gates. Also the mountain was very large, and had plenty of places to hide a camp, should she send them they'd have to cover such a large area to find the bandits. So she decided that for a while they'd focus on defense and just set up patrols leading the Arendelle until they gathered more information. However the attacks had begun to grow more frequent and her people began to grow restless so now might've been the time to act more aggressively.

"Alright captain Stonewell, how do you plan to organize these troops to find the bandits?" The man seemed to already have a plan in mind as he brought out a map of the North Mountain and laid it out for her. "I planned on asking the Royal Ice Master where he was attacked and seeing if we could pick up a trail from where they first engaged him. According to his report last night, there were six of them, we were only able to find three bodies, I was hoping he could take us to the site of the attack." That set off alarm bells in her head, she didn't want to endanger Kristoff again after his attack from last night. Anna would be furious if she heard what the captain intended.

"Captain, while I don't disagree with your notion of setting up search parties, we cannot intentionally danger Kristoff again. You will just have to search the mountain with the men you can spare." The large man seemed to want to disagree however he nodded his head and accepted her words.

"I will begin to organize men immediately your Majesty, I will send you a report within the next few days of our progress." Elsa nodded and was about to turn to leave when the large man raised a hand. "There is one more matter I'd like to discuss."

The platinum beauty gave him her full attention as he pulled a report from behind him. When he handed it to her, she realized that it was the autopsy of the three bodies that were found. She read over it and her eyes widened before looking back to the captain of the guard with disbelief in her eyes. "Is this report accurate?"

"Yes it is your majesty, the first body was found to have been thrown by something after the bandit's head had been completely turned backwards. The other two bodies were found further away buried under the snow, torn apart limb from limb. There were splatters of blood all over and at first I expected that stranger might've had a hand in it. However my guards last night said there wasn't a drop of blood on the guy, also it would've taken an inhuman amount of force to cause such a scene. When I questioned master Bjorgman, he said two of bandits did pursue the stranger and they were gone a few minutes. And when he returned there still wasn't a large amount of blood on his person. If it would be possible, I'd like to question him as well, something so gruesome would take much more than a few minutes to commit."

* * *

Elsewhere, a ship was sailing around through the vast ocean. At the front bow of the ship was a man with tan skin and piercing red eyes, he tapped his fingers on the railing as he watched the sea flow past him. He'd been sailing for three days after his last conquest. He could remember feeling his victim struggle in his grasp before he snuff out the man's spark of life. He honestly expected a better challenge, his quarry was known to destroy villages with a snap of his fingers, yet all it took for him to win was one punch.

His target crumpled to the ground barely conscious, he even gave the guy time to recollect himself. He picked up the man by the throat with one arm and waited a full minute before he had enough and broke his neck with a flex of his hand. Gripping the railing in anger at the memory, he snapped the wood like a toothpick as he growled.

"Damn Elementals."


	5. Chapter 5

When the doors closed behind the Queen, it left Anna and Edward alone in the large room. The young man couldn't help but reflect on his brief time with the beautiful woman. She seemed kind and understanding, as well as insightful when she recognized his desire to be alone. She said that it wouldn't help to run from his problems however, his problems wasn't something one could run from. Only total isolation could give him the peace of mind he craved for the last four years.

All of his supplies had been used up on his journey getting this far, and his money was all spent in the last town. He needed money, so getting work in Arendelle was his next priority. He would only stay long enough until he could afford passage to Blackdust. Ferries didn't really cost much however with the unique relationship Blackdust had with the world, he would need to give enough money for a captain to resist asking questions.

_Could always ask the Queen for a ride, her sister's mate is alive after a bandit ambush. Honor would demand she compensate his rescuer. _

Edward viscously shoved that thought in the back of his mind, the fact they brought him to the castle and treated him was more than enough to call whatever help he gave even. Kristoff, saved himself and picked up a total stranger who was laying face down into the snow. As far as he was concerned, he owed the ice harvester. Thinking of Kristoff, he hoped that he was indeed alright, he seemed ok after the attack however, shock wasn't always instantaneous so Edward wanted to check on the man.

Turning back to the brunette beside him, he lightly coughed to get her attention. Her blue eyes turned to him in wonder and easy smile graced her freckled face. Looking at her up close Edward could see that she was indeed very beautiful, any man would jump at the chance of marrying her. Kristoff might've been the luckiest guy in the world to have this woman worry so much about him.

_Not as lucky as the guy the Queen would worry about._

Edward squashed that thought as he finally remembered what he wanted to ask the princess in the first place. "Your Highness…"

"Anna."

The young man raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Please, just call me Anna. I don't like being called _Princess _Anna." Edward was taken aback by the gesture, most royalty would have commoners prostrate themselves rather than establish a sort of a familiarity with them. Had it been anyone else he would've suspected an ulterior motive however staring into her blue eyes and smile, he couldn't help but put trust in her. "Well Anna, I wanted to know how Kristoff and Sven are doing. If it'd be possible I wanted to see them and offer my thanks for picking me up out of the snow."

The brunette hadn't known this man long, however she could already feel that he was someone she would like to get to know. Perhaps it was her recklessness acting up again, but when she looked into his eyes and saw genuine concern for her boyfriend she couldn't help but like the man. At first she had nothing but gratitude towards him, next it changed to wonder when he said he traveled all over. Then her heart when out to him when he expressed his desire to be alone, Elsa wasn't the only one to recognize that face. She was the cause of it on her sister's face for so long, the two had repaired their relationship after being separated for so long.

In some ways, Anna was grateful for the Great Freeze, it allowed Elsa to finally express herself and break away from the pain she suffered from solitude. Seeing it again on the man who helped save Kristoff, was not ok in her book and she was going to try and help.

"He's generally down in the stables with Sven, the doctor checked him out and said he was fine but I was going to see him anyway. This is perfect, we can both see him and I can give you a tour of Arendelle. You said that you were going to stay and work here for while, might as well show you around, I have nothing else I need to do today." Edward thought about refusing but the brunette was already tugging on his arm and they were already out in the courtyard heading towards the stables.

Anna opened the doors to see the mountain man sharing a carrot with the reindeer. Sven's leg seemed to wrapped with new bandages and the reindeer only had a slight limp. When Kristoff realized that he had company he stood and turned his attention to the door and was met with two arms wrapping around his neck in a tight hug. Before he could even greet them, he was on the receiving end of a very passionate kiss that _almost _made him forget they weren't alone.

Edward blushed at the display and turned away to give them some privacy as Sven snickered at the young man's embarrassment. Enjoying for one last second, Kristoff pulled away while turning toward the other man in the stable. "Sorry about that Ed...you can turn around now." When he turned around hie could see the mountain man was scratching the back of his neck with a blush on his face while the princess smiled like normal.

"It's no problem, I wanted to check on you and Sven."

The reindeer trotted up to the brown haired man and rubbed his head against him with a smile on his face. Kristoff chuckled before deepening his voice. "_Well thank you for checking on us, the shot to my leg is healing fine but I won't be able to go on ice harvesting trips for a while._" Anna noticed Edward's facial expression and couldn't help but laugh at his apparent confusion before explaining. "Kristoff can understand what Sven wants to say and talks for him."

If Edward had a confused expression on his face before then it paled in comparison to the one that flashed across his face for a moment before he shrugged it off. "That's great to hear Sven. So Kristoff, what do you plan to do in the meantime while you're waiting on him to heal?" This made the large man look worried while turning his eyes to the woman who looked at him expectantly.

"Well...I was planning on using those two horses we got from the bandits and rush to complete these last few orders.." He didn't get to finish as Anna exploded in anger.

"What?! Are you serious?! After you barely got away the last time, you want to go back out there **again**?!" Kristoff expected this reaction and tried to step back with his hands up to calm her down, but with every step he took, she advanced. The mountain man could understand why she wouldn't be happy with his decision but ice had been his life as long as he could remember. While there was no question in his mind he'd give up his ice business for Anna in a heartbeat, he wasn't going to let some bandits scare him off his job.

"Anna I have only a few more orders I have to fill before winter hits, the sooner I finish these the faster I can take off and spend time with you." That didn't do anything as the brunette already had an argument ready and waiting. "Only a few more huh, well they'd be mighty hard to fill if you were to be killed by bandits after they tried once already."

Anna rarely got mad at Kristoff, whenever it came to them he was the one who made rational decisions. He even chastised her if she put herself in actual harms way. He always had a mind for her safety, he rarely took unnecessary risks and liked to plan things ahead of time. Whenever she had a _really _bad plan, he'd try talking her out of it until he was blue in the face and she relented. Now _he _was the one making a reckless decision and it was her turn to talk him out of it.

"I won't be killed, we worked until the night, if me and Sven left when there was still light out we would've been ok. There were some issues while I gathered ice that made me take longer to do so, it'd be nice if I had another pair of hands but not many people are strong enough to lug ice all day." Anna seemed ready with another argument but this time their guest beat her to it.

"What if I went with him?"

The two lovebirds actually stopped their argument and turned to Edward with their previous expressions frozen on their faces. They stared at him for a moment not saying anything which prompted him to clear his throat and repeat himself. "What if he hired me and I went up with him, I have experience dealing with bandits. I admit I never harvested ice before but I know that I'm strong enough to do so."

Anna instantly rushed over with a refusal already forming in her head while Kristoff actually looked pensive. He _could _use someone else up there with him to lighten the workload and they had fought off bandits last night. Money wasn't that big of an issue, Arendelle was a large exporter or ice, even before Elsa came to power. He got orders left and right during the summer that had him busting his back working with only him and Sven. Because of that he was able to buy a brand new sleigh and keep up with the best ice harvesting tools on the market. Winter was a pain with there being such an abundance of ice outside people's homes that no one even ordered any.

He would generally use all the money he made during the summer covering living expenses during the winter and would open up shop in spring. Being with Anna mitigated living expenses because she liked him staying in the castle; _in separate rooms_, to save himself from Elsa's wrath. So he did have extra money from not paying rent to local innkeepers. Plus, with another guy, he could pursue more orders that he was thinking of turning down due to time it would take to complete them. He looked back up to see Anna trying to dissuade the brown haired man only for him to calmly keep telling her that it would be a good idea.

"I can start you off at 30 percent of payment from orders and this is only temporary job, when winter hits no one is going to being looking for ice." Kristoff would've paid more if the person he was hiring actually had experience harvesting ice but he was going to be training someone which would take time away from filling orders. If he learned fast then, they could pursue more orders and he could make up the low pay, if he didn't Kristoff would still be able to profit with the 70 percent from the few he could probably rush to finish. The mountain man offered his hand as he watched the brown haired man stare at it for a moment.

_30 percent?! Who does that shithead think he is?! Saved his ass and he only wants to pay 30 percent for assistance __**and **__protection? Should tell him to put that 30 percent up where the sun don't shine and cough up the other 70! _

Edward smiled and accepted the handshake. 30 percent might've been a little low but he needed money and couldn't be picky with what jobs he got. He really didn't need too much money, just enough to board the first ship headed to Blackdust with no questions asked. Kristoff smiled as well but it was completely slapped off his face when Anna marched up to him with her finger pointing into his chest. "You couldn't just stay here where it's safe, no you just have to go out and harvest your stupid ice. And you even got the guy who helped save your life and was _shot _yesterday go with you. Well you can forget about your chocolate privileges, kisses too, you're on probation!"

She puffed her cheeks and turned her back on the two of them before marching her way out of the barn. Kristoff groaned and turned to Edward before preparing to follow after her. "I'll be back, can you hang out with Sven for a while, I want to take you up the mountain for the day and show you how to harvest ice. We'll only be up for half the day and be back in Arendelle before dark so we don't run into any more trouble. Last time, we didn't quit early enough so this time I want to leave before the sun goes down." Edward nodded and watched the blonde run off after Anna probably trying to talk her into giving him her blessing on the trip. That left him in the barn with the horses they got from the bandits and Sven who was snickering at the display.

Edward guessed Kristoff probably wouldn't be back for a while so he decided to go check on the horses. When he inspected them, he was surprised to see that they were well maintained, some cuts here and there but for the most part they were well fed and obedient. Their saddles on the other hand were in a deplorable state. They were tattered and barely holding together, buckles were crude with and near snapping into pieces. The leather was worn and fraying, these saddles were such an offset to the beautiful horses. These bandits probably stole these from wandering victims in the forest, that brought a dark thought to his head.

_If you want to stop someone from getting away, go for their horse. _

If these horses did indeed belong to someone else, it was likely their original owner was killed when they were taken. Perhaps that's why Anna was so against Kristoff going off again, there have probably been more bodies stacking up which caused Arendelle to start organizing checkpoints up the mountain. It would've been a lot simpler if they just captured a bandit and made him tell them where their camp was. The Queen should be able to snap her fingers and literally all her problems would just freeze over.

_Hell it wouldn't even take half a day to deal with them. _

Edward shook his head before a thought just occurred to him. When they were packing up the supplies, he remembered hearing breathing from somewhere close by. At first he brushed it off thinking it was probably Kristoff or Sven but then remembered that he only took out three of the four that attacked them. Odds are that last bandit is still alive and probably woke up early this morning, meaning his tracks wouldn't have been covered if it was this morning. Perhaps he went back to camp after waking up, one would only need to follow his footsteps to find out.

_And if the tracks did lead to the camp, then the fun would start. _

Edward shoved that thought into the back of his mind, he didn't do that anymore. Last night, he was defending himself. He wouldn't go out looking for blood to spill, that was in the past.

_That's cute to think that._

He should take this to a guard and let them report it up their chain of command so they could deal with it. There was no reason for him to get involved. He didn't notice his hand clenching the metal buckle that held the saddle together.

_It'll be fun._

The veins in his hand began to become more pronounced as they began to snake up his arm under his long sleeved shirt as he continued thinking. He should turn around and go into the castle to report this to one of the guards he saw as he followed the princess earlier.

_They're bandits, no one's gonna miss them when they're gone._

His eyes began to slowly lose their blue color only to gain a red outline as he still continued thinking. The guards would handle the situation and he could focus on his new job harvesting ice.

_Would barely take any effort especially considering what they're up against. Hell nothing takes any effort anymore, it's just fun to leave them in bits and pieces, just like that one blue eyed woman in that burning village so many years ago. _

The buckle snapped from his hand flexing and it seemed that his control had slipped too because he couldn't stop the roar that came out of his throat.

"_**Shut up!"**_

The horses instantly tried to move away from the man as Sven jumped back in shock at the amount of ferocity Edward seemed to radiate. The horses wouldn't stop their neighing as they went out of control trying to get out of the young man's reach.

Sven was smart enough to not move a muscle as he stared at the man's back, he was well out of reach and didn't want to draw his attention. Throughout his time with Kristoff, he was able to pick up a sense on people, perhaps it was his animal instincts at work but he already had an idea about the person just by being next to them. It was because of this, he instantly got along with Elsa, Anna, Kai, Gerda, and Olaf after only being around them for a short time.

When he first came close to this man however, something was off. Sven couldn't comprehend it, one moment he felt the same kindness and attraction his friends had and in this moment, he felt absolute bloodlust coming off the man in waves. The horses must've felt the same feeling because they wouldn't calm down, he might've done the same a couple of years ago. However when faced with danger, one should not panic, so far the man had only lowered his arm and began breathing slowly. The waves began to diminish as the man's breathing became more drawn out. Before all of it was gone, Edward gripped the reins tying the two horses together and yanked down hard to stop both horses from moving.

Sven could barely see past the horses' bodies but he could make out Edward's face in front of the two horses' own faces. The blue eyes he had earlier were replaced with a deep red that chilled the reindeer to his bones. The man wasn't even looking his way and he could feel the crushing pressure his eyes exhibited that made his legs weak. The horses got a full dose as they froze in fear. When Edward was sure the horses wouldn't go crazy, he took one final breath and the waves completely dissipated. His eyes returned to their previous blue color as he looked back to the broken buckle that was still in his hand. He supposed he could say it snapped after the mountain man left, the saddle needed to be replaced before prolonged use caused it to break.

The sound of the door to the barn opening alerted him that someone was coming. He turned around fully expecting Kristoff and maybe Anna, however there was Queen Elsa herself and an older gentlemen. He quickly executed a bow to show his respect as Elsa quietly greeted Sven who returned the gesture while eying the young man.

"Kristoff said he might be a bit more late, my sister seems very unhappy with his decision to go back up the mountain, as well as yours to join him." Edward sent the mountain man a quick prayer knowing he'd need it against the fiery princess. In the meantime he wondered what the queen needed in the barn that she herself came down. He fervently hoped that she wasn't here for him, the longer he could stay out of trouble the better but judging by the man who was with her calculating stare, they were hear for him.

"I do hope that is alright your highness, it sounded like a good opportunity for work that I couldn't pass up."

"It's your decision, I just assumed with recent developments that you wouldn't want to potentially put yourself in danger again. I wouldn't order neither you or Kristoff from trying to do your jobs however the safety of those in Arendelle does concern me. Which is why we wish to talk to you about the attack last night, Captain Stonewell wanted Master Kristoff to take him to the site of the attack and initially, I refused due to the risks. But after hearing he himself planned to go back up there, I decided to have some of my guards accompany the two of you." After she spoke, the man took a step forward and offered his hand in a handshake.

Edward avoided looking into the man's calculating stare, it almost felt like he was studying for some reason. Grasping his hand, he was surprised to feel the man's hand begin to squeeze his like a vice. The captain's stature left little to the imagination of his physical prowess, had it been anyone else they probably would begin to panic at the strength that put so much pressure on his hand. The young man however was hardly like anyone else.

_You wanna play that game huh. _

Edward gripped the man's hand with just as much force then began to add more of his to see if the man would pull away. To his credit, the captain didn't utter a sound as the handshake was overtaken by the young man. It honestly wouldn't take a lot more pressure to begin to damage the captain's bones so Edward chose that time to loosen up and attempt to disengage their handshake that turned into a match of strength. The two hands unlocked and fell to their respective sides, a twinkle made its way into the captain's eye. It seemed he had gained something in their brief exchange.

"It's good to make your acquaintance, I am Walter Stonewell, captain of the guard for Arendelle. It if would be possible, I'd like to ask some questions about the attack last night." Knowing it would be odd if he refused the young man nodded.

"It was reported that you two were attacked in the forest beyond the checkpoint, there were three bodies found that belonged to the bandits, is that correct?" Edward nodded and kept a calm expression on his face but on the inside he cursed. He knew he should taken the time to hide those two bodies before returning to Kristoff.

"One had its head spun all the way around, a feat that military trained individuals could likely accomplish, was that your doing?" Another nod followed, he could guess what the ice harvester told them, so he would admit to the things that Kristoff saw. The things he didn't see however, he would flat out deny and he already had an advantage. The captains said they only found three bodies, which meant that they did not find the one the ice harvester knocked out. It didn't take them too long to get to the checkpoint last night after the attack, if the bandit awoke and got away then the guards' tracking skills were poor. Meaning the two bodies he mutilated would be hard to trace back to him, considering that he got no blood on him.

"Master Bjorgman also mentioned that two bandits went after you when the two of you were separated. Their bodies were found torn apart, that level of violence would indeed pose a cause for concern. Especially with us knowing little to nothing about you, it falls to me to determine if you are indeed a danger." Elsa turned her eyes to the captain but said nothing, she had considered the stranger as a potential danger but decided to give him the benefit of the doubt for helping Kristoff. However it seemed the older man wanted to make sure he wasn't a threat. Edward took a deep breath before responding.

"While I do admit to killing one of them, the other two I left knocked out when they engaged me. I've been traveling for weeks and I haven't eaten anything in the last few days, my strength at that point would definitely not be able to accomplish killing them in such a fashion. Perhaps wolves arrived to claim their meal but scurried off when they heard your guards approaching." He fought to keep his voice steady to not give himself away, he used logic to strengthen his argument and his story was good, the only pitfall was the lack of wolf tracks. If he had been in Blackdust, he would have never tried to cover his tracks this way, the guards there were skill hunters. If there had been a wolf there they wouldn't need tracks to know it was there, all they needed was a scent.

However the fact that he had yet to mention the bandit that was alive, he could tell they probably haven't captured him. So there was an opening for him to exploit their lack of skill in tracking. The captain's eyes gave nothing away and for a moment he didn't move. Edward fought to stay still and not look guilty in any way, if they bought this lie then he was safe, if they didn't…

"Do you happen to know of the one bandit that survived?"

_Shit. _

"Yes, I told Kristoff to wait until the last one passed by and open fire with his rifle while they were chasing me. The last one peeled off to attack him, I was under the impression Kristoff killed him, I heard a couple of gunshots but saw him alive. Were you able to capture him?" If they did indeed capture the man, Edward hoped the bandit was still unconscious, if they managed to track him then he was less confident in his hope that they wouldn't notice wolf tracks.

Fortunately though, the captain shook his head. "No he was gone before we could detain him, and my men couldn't determine where he went off to." The young man had to stop himself from smiling, they couldn't prove if he was lying about the wolves, he was safe for now. "Well if you're coming with us, I can show you where we were attacked and what direction we came from. Anything to help you all deal with this problem."

The captain nodded but Edward couldn't help feeling that even though he managed to keep himself from being discovered, the man was onto something about him. Meaning, he needed to play docile while he was in Arendelle and give nothing that would make him stand out. Queen Elsa was quiet throughout the entire exchange before she stepped forward and spoke.

"Thank you for volunteering but I do wish to express that you don't have to do this if you really don't want to. No one will force you to put yourself at risk." Edward shrugged.

"It's no problem for me, its the princess Kristoff needs to convince. Judging by the way she stormed off, we may not even be going out." Elsa chuckled when she remembered walking past them a while ago. Anna was still stomping not listening to Kristoff's pleads. When she asked her sister what was wrong, the brunette gave a quick rundown of what happened, completely ignoring the man behind her. When she finished, she announced she was going to grab some chocolate, _alone. _Then continued marching with Kristoff behind her.

"Anna just really cares about him, but she knows that this job is his life and she wouldn't ask him to change it for her. I'm sure after she's had her chocolate and listens to what he has to say they'll be right back down." Not even a moment later, Anna walked back in before pointing a finger at Edward's face.

"You better watch after him or you'll be dealing with me." Her face was set in a serious frown as Kristoff walked in scratching his head in embarrassment. Too stunned to come up with a response, Edward nodded and watched her retract her finger before glaring daggers at the ice harvester then standing next to Elsa. Kristoff walked over to the young man and whispered as he passed by.

"Sorry about that." Edward couldn't help but whisper back.

"Still on probation?"

"You have no idea."


	6. Chapter 6

Kristoff snapped the reins which made the horses gallop faster as they headed up the mountain. Edward could hear the guards behind them, two squads of four men each, trailing them. The ice harvester had agreed to take them to the site of the attack and hopefully, they could pick up a trail to scout for hopefully the bandit hideout. While they did this, Kristoff planned to take Edward up to his favorite frozen lake so that he could teach the man how to harvest ice.

It didn't take too long before they reached the site, a lot of snow hadn't fallen through the night so the tracks were still pronounced. Edward pointed out a trail that led back up the mountain, the guards took off in that direction leaving the ice harvesters. Kristoff spurred the horses until they arrived on a frozen lake that he had been ice harvesting for days now.

"Alright, before we get to the fun stuff I wanna give you a quick rundown on how this works. I remember you saying you were strong enough to harvest ice even though you never did so before, we'll see about that. For now though, just keep these little tips in mind so you don't hurt yourself."

_It's just cutting blocks of ice, how hard can that be?_

Very hard as it turns out.

The veteran ice harvester had quickly cut an outline of the area they were harvesting. He then gave Edward a basic instruction then a demonstration of the art of gathering ice. At first glance it looked easy, however, when the man got a large ice saw and attempted to cut into the ice, the tool stopped not even three inches deep. The young man raised an eyebrow in confusion before lifting the tool up once more and putting more force into shoving it downward. Instead of cutting through the ice as he thought it would, the blade skid instead and the young man found himself on his stomach with the saw in front of him.

He could hear laughter beside him as he turned to face the mountain man leaning on his own saw with a smug grin on his face. "I might've forgotten to mention that you can't just use all brute force to get that saw in the ice. You need to apply a steady amount of pressure to the saw at a steady pace to cut through at the right angle." He then looked at the crooked gouge the saw made as it slid and whistled.

"But you are indeed stronger than I gave you credit for, now you just need to put that strength to practical use."

_He's right, strength with no direction is worthless._

Picking himself up, Edward positioned his saw again, and instead of trying to cut through in one thrust, he stabbed then brought it back before repeating the process. The blade began to go deeper as well as saw through the ice under his feet, in time, he developed a rhythm before he heard the sound of water. Taking his saw all the way out of the ice, he peered down to see that he had made it through. A slow clap from Kristoff made the man look up with an impressed smile on his face.

"There you go, now just cut to the other side of the outline and we'll move on."

The day went mostly like that, Edward would take instruction from the mountain man while he did his own harvesting. It took some time and effort but the novice managed to harvest three blocks of ice. Now having succeeded, the brown-haired man felt he could probably get faster and faster at ice harvesting but Kristoff had waved it off.

"That's enough, we gotta get back while there's still some light out. The good news is that we have enough to fill out one order so it looks like we're getting paid tonight. Besides if we don't get back to Arendelle in time for dinner then I'm beyond screwed."

Edward looked at the sleigh to see an additional nine blocks of ice neatly stacked next to his own and shook his head in disbelief. They had only been up in the mountains for a few hours, spent even less actually harvesting ice. How Kristoff managed to teach him and put in a good amount of work was quite impressive. The brown-haired man began to help the blonde to load the sleigh with all of their gear and before long, they were racing down the mountain.

For the most part, they made the trip in silence, however, Edward couldn't help his thoughts slowly drifting to a certain blonde woman now that he wasn't focusing on the task at hand. When he first met her, he couldn't imagine a more beautiful sight, she was flawless in appearance. That had captured his attention for a time but what cemented her presence in his mind was her kindness.

She hadn't known him for a full day and she had erased the massive weight that was on his shoulders. His thoughts always haunted him in every waking moment and in his heart he knew that they would be the end of him. Over time he managed to learn to live the weight on his shoulders and carry on, let no one see the monster he hid inside. It made him keep everyone at a distance to avoid tragic incidents, every waking moment he watched himself to ensure that never for a moment he would lose control. Yet here comes this woman who made him forget, even for a moment, of all the demons he kept bottled inside.

_There's only one that matters_

Shaking his head of his thoughts, they instantly went back to the platinum beauty. Part of him knew it would be somewhat inappropriate to ask the mountain man about Elsa, but he couldn't stop his mouth from speaking.

"So what's Elsa like?"

_Out of all the things to say; the ice harvester is gonna love that._

Kristoff couldn't help the sigh that left his lips as he slightly turned to face the young man who palmed his face at his tactless outburst. It wasn't like he was oblivious to the beauty Elsa possessed, he himself admitted that she had an outworldly beauty to her. However, Anna went beyond that. Everything came second to her, words couldn't begin to describe her. Elsa's beauty would take a thousand words to describe, to him; Anna's couldn't be compared on such a small scale. He was the luckiest man to ever exist that the princess had eyes only for him, he never boasted about it but Arendelle knew that she had found her match.

That left only Elsa available. Kristoff was an avid drinker, he spent plenty of time in the taverns of Arendelle drinking people under the table regularly. He had heard all the things drunk patrons would say about their Queen and honestly if they ever reached her ears, steam would probably come out of her cool head in embarrassment. Some had even asked the ice harvester to introduce them to her so they could woe her. He would of course decline, Elsa should find someone who appreciates her the way he did Anna. Not for her looks, abilities, or her position as Queen, but for what she was like on the inside. Even though she was likely to marry just for Arendelle's sake, he still hoped that she would find love someday.

"Alright let me stop you there. I get it, Elsa is beautiful and a Queen so she would be amazing to have an arm around. But dude, don't even try man, you really don't want to make Anna upset if you're after her sister for stuff like that. She's got a mean right hook."

Edward raised an eyebrow at Kristoff's rather blunt reply. He could understand how his outburst could've been perceived that he wanted to try his hand at charming her, but that wasn't the case at all. He had no intention in finding companionship in a woman, that always ended badly for him. All he wanted was solitude, and if things went his way, he'll be out of Arendelle in a few short weeks. There would be little reason in trying to gain favor with the Queen and try to become King.

Besides Edward had no desire whatsoever to become a King, before everything, he is a soldier. As much as he hated to admit it, he belonged on the battlefield fighting with his own two hands, not using a pen and words to fight his battles. Although he wished to avoid fighting altogether,

sometimes you just can't get what you want no matter how hard you try.

"I just meant what's she like to be around. As we left Arendelle, I noticed that so many people were happy. The guards were helping throughout the village, children playing, and I've yet to see so much as a homeless person lounging on the street. In most kingdoms, there is at least some sign of discomfort to the crown, yet here everyone seems to love her wholeheartedly as if she cast a spell on them. That made me wonder, what has she done to get this much light in her kingdom?"

Kristoff was about to comment on the spell part, telling him there was no way Elsa would do so even if she could but remembered his talk with Anna before they left. Edward had called Elsa an Elemental and seemed to know a bit about them, so he could probably guess that he really didn't mean she cast a spell on them. It did make him curious though, he thought about talking to Grand Pabbie and asking if he knew anything about Elementals since he had a good idea about Elsa's powers.

"Well, if I had to sum up the reason why everyone loves her, it's probably because she's like a loving mother to them all. During her reign, she fought to eliminate crime and poverty, while building the economy, then using it to give back to the people instead of hoarding the riches. She takes time out of her day to make sure she hears everyone's say and does her best to keep everyone happy. She works herself really hard in my opinion though, there have been many times she'd fall asleep in her study and Anna would ask me to carry her to bed."

Edward considered his words for a moment, thinking about all the things he heard in his travels about the Snow Queen. When he realized he was in Arendelle earlier, it didn't dawn on him immediately that he was in her kingdom and when he met her it all came back to him. The image he had made for her was off the mark almost entirely, he expected a cold woman who oppressed her people with her abilities. Not a woman who seemed incredibly kind and loving, however under all that warmth when he met her eyes as he said he wanted to be alone he saw it. He saw the sadness that he had when he thought of everything in his life, the weight that he carried day to day. It was like she had been right where he was, maybe she was still there but got better at hiding it. Regardless when he recognized the same sadness, he couldn't tear himself away from her voice.

It calmed him down to his very core, for once, the raging fires in his own heart that craved violence yielded at her voice. The feeling was addictive to think about, he wanted to hear her voice forever but he knew that was simply impossible. She was a Queen and he was a foreigner, not even royalty. The only reason she was even giving him the time of day was that he saved her sister's boyfriend. After that business was done, he'd probably wouldn't see her again, which was probably for the best. Even though their time was coming to an end Edward couldn't help his curiosity from growing about the woman.

"She sounds like a wonderful Queen but I asked what's _Elsa_ like, not what the Queen of Arendelle is like." That actually caused Kristoff's eyebrow to rise, he wasn't expecting that kind of question. While it was nice that someone showed interest in Elsa and not the Queen, he wondered how much he should actually say. He didn't want to overstep his bounds telling him the deeper aspects of the blonde woman, Edward had to find those out for himself. The mountain man could just give him a brief description and hopefully, he'd be satisfied.

"First and foremost, she loves Anna immensely, I'd wager more than Arendelle if I was a betting man. She's really proper, doing everything the way a Queen should but has her mischievous moments. Of course, she likes chocolate as much as Anna and she's very intelligent. She's patient, understanding, and selfless putting everything else before her own self. You want to know more you'll have to find out on your own."

While it answered his question, Edward was hoping for more than obvious traits. He guessed that the ice harvester wanted to respect the platinum beauty's right to secrecy. The young man shrugged his shoulders, looks like he would have to find out on his own. He was content to end the conversation there when Kristoff opened his mouth again.

"So what about you, I don't really know much about you. I know you can fight, and have traveled a very long way but what else is there?"

Edward considered not answering for a moment but decided against it, the mountain man answered his questions, least he could do was give him the same courtesy. "Well, I guess the first thing you should know is I'm from Blackdust, I can guarantee someone will ask later tonight. I haven't back there in years, I served in their military for almost my entire life, I've been sent around the world to see a great many wonders. Hopefully, I can earn enough money to get a ship to take me back to Blackdust, after a stay for a while I plan on leaving again. There isn't much more to tell beyond that. I guess I could say I have a brother, but I have no idea where he is because he was sent in the opposite direction. I'm sure he's alive though, the guy is basically unkillable."

Kristoff mulled that information around his head for a moment, from what he remembered hearing in the tavern, Blackdust was a very secretive kingdom. He heard that the traders were under guard and they barely said a word while trading, part of him wanted to ask the young man to clear up some rumors but the guy hasn't been back in years. Who knew if things remained the same since leaving. So he decided to ask about his brother.

"Why do you say he's unkillable, I'm sure he must be tough but unkillable is pushing it." Edward shrugged before answering.

"Because every time he's been sent into a battle that he has no chance in winning, he's the only one that comes back with word of his success."

* * *

Elsa was sifting through some trade and treaty agreements with all the kingdoms that were coming to the Winter Solstice gathering. The main reason she invited all of them was to improve trade with further kingdoms to support Arendelle. The woman planned on using her allies as support to encourage some of their allies to trade with them. It would surely be a busy night so she needed to be caught up on the affairs between faraway kingdoms.

She also had to prepare living arrangements for every noble that was likely and unlikely to attend. There was plenty of space but the main problem that was on her mind was Blackdust. She needed to vet them before the gathering, that would take time maybe a month or so. She went over every scrap of information that was about them only to come up with scarce rumors and speculations. Elsa sent letters to her allies asking for any information on the secretive kingdom, that yielded little results. Until the King Frederic of Corona had sent a letter.

_Greetings Queen Elsa_

_In response to your request, I have searched through my kingdom's records and believe I have found something. Seven years ago, one of my allies, Rosenberg, was under attack from another kingdom called Ashfeld. The war was mostly a stalemate of limited success on both sides, until a ship flying a black sail that had a lion and snake facing one another, was sighted. The ship was heavily reinforced, yet had no cannons. King Helson of Rosenberg ordered their ships be searched and questioned on their purpose for coming to the battlefield._

_The ship obliged and showed they were from Blackdust with the intention of supporting Ashfeld. Of course, they were warned to turn back or be forcibly restrained, the captain of the ship only laughed. That was all the warning he got before they attacked. There was only a force of fifty men but each fought with the ferocity of ten men. Each man was able to hold his own against three regular soldiers at once, combined with the thick forest terrain, they were able to utilize the trees to disappear from sight. There was no pause or remorse as they cut through Rosenberg's forces, only one soldier survived. The Blackdust captain wanted someone to tell the tale of their defeat, that with only fifty men they were able to take a fort that housed three hundred men._

_The small Blackdust force joined Ashfeld and began cutting a path straight to Rosenberg's capital, there was no stopping their combined might. King Helson asked his allies for help in dealing with the threat, I was preparing to send troops but received a letter from Helson. It seemed that Ashfeld was confident in their ability to conquer Rosenberg so they didn't need the Blackdust forces possibly betraying them if hired by one of their enemies. Their prowess in battle was more than astonishing, Ashfeld felt they were a threat that needed to be eliminated. They felt that the chaos of the battlefield would be the perfect cover to kill the soldiers to show his troops that they could be killed as well as to demoralize Rosenberg to show not even Blackdust could stand against them._

_King Helson had scouts posted outside the capitol walls to warn them of their arrival. Just beyond the capitol walls, Ashfeld turned on and attacked the Blackdust forces, managing to kill forty-nine of them without taking many casualties. That only left one soldier, he was hardly a man, he looked as though he just joined Blackdust's military. The scouts sent word back to King Helson and he decided that now might be the perfect time to counterattack with them killing their own allies. By the time his forces rushed outside the gate, it was already over. There were bodies strewn around carelessly, over a hundred men were disembodied as if a storm of blades had hit them. Amongst the carnage stood the boy with his hands steadily dripping with blood and his back to them._

_The officer leading the Rosenberg forces approached the boy and asked if he was responsible for all this. The boy answered, "Pride did all of this." He then proceeded to walk away not even stopping to pay respects to his fallen comrades. After that battle Ashfeld launched no more attacks, the war had come to a complete stop. Six months later Helson received a report from one of his allies, Ashfeld had been burned to the ground. There was nothing left whatsoever, everything from villages to forests was engulfed in flames. The only thing left was a spear with Ashfeld's King's head on it. King Helson gathered reports that ships matching Blackdust's colors were seen in the area before the destruction. He then received a letter from the King of Blackdust._

_It read that 'I King Rakat Veera proclaim our fight against you has ended. We have been asked to join the military campaign of Ashfeld conquering your lands, however, they had betrayed us and have been punished. We leave the riches we've recovered from their kingdom as recompense for the damage we have wrought. If you feel this is not enough then you're more than welcome to challenge me, we have no intention of attacking your kingdom a second time. Your kingdom was moments away from being conquered before we were forced to call off the attack, that must mean fate has decided that it would not be by our hands that we destroy your kingdom. Do not take this as a sign of weakness, take it as a sign that we have no obligation to fight with you but will not hesitate to do so should you provoke us.'_

_King Helson of course, made no attempt to attack Blackdust. He focused on rebuilding his kingdom, as he sent soldiers to build he received one last scout report. On the edge of his kingdom, there were carts lined with horses and the riches of Ashfeld waiting for them, there was however only one person guarding them. It was the boy from before. When they approached him, he asked one question. "Do you wish to go to war with us?" When the captain in charge said no the boy sighed and began to walk away saying one thing over his shoulder._

"_Well that's disappointing, I haven't had my fill yet. However the king's wishes are my command, he said to attack unless provoked." One of the soldiers took offense to the boy's words and shouted at his back, challenging the boy to prove his ability right then and there. The captain described what happened next as a blur, as soon as the words left the soldier's mouth, he started to choke. The captain turned to see the boy lifting the man off the ground with one hand around his throat. Before when they talked they were a hundred feet away, the boy managed to cover the distance in an instant. The other soldiers prepared to help their comrade but the captain ordered them to stand down before speaking to the boy. He apologized for his soldier's words and asked he released him._

_The boy considered this all the while he was still squeezing out the life of the soldier. He began to mumble about how much Pride wanted this. He finally let go when the captain reminded him that the King said attacked only if provoked and while the boy had been challenged he obviously had won and that should be enough. Unless he sought to use this incident as an excuse to go against his King's wishes. As the soldier hit the ground trying to get air back in his lungs, the boy gave the captain a red-eyed glare that he described belong to a demon straight of out of hell. The boy left without a word, the captain informed King Helson of the encounter and made one additional comment. While the boy was choking the soldier, his face lit up in glee and fascination as he watched the soldier squirm. If it wasn't for his loyalty to his King, the captain had the feeling they would've been slaughtered by the boy._

_When asked for a description, the captain only said brown hair, tan skin, and deviled red eyes. That's all I have in regards to Blackdust, I wish I could be of more help. The only thing I could advise you is to be careful when you deal with them, they are very ruthless and their warriors are a force to not be trifled with. Especially the boy because of all the warriors from Blackdust they had far more fairer skin than he, and red eyes like his are one of a kind._

_I look forward to the Winter Gathering,_

_Your ally always, King Frederick of Corona._

Elsa had reread the letter a few times trying to imagine the kind of scene the boy mentioned created. It actually reminded her of the report she received about Edward and the two men that attacked him and Kristoff. The timeline also matched up, the young man didn't seem that much older than her and if he was indeed the boy mentioned, two men wouldn't take that long to dispose of if he could do the same to a hundred. Edward, however, said that wasn't his doing so perhaps he lied, that only served to increase her suspicion of him.

_But he doesn't have red eyes though_

That was true, his eyes were a dull blue and hardly seemed like they belonged to a demon. Perhaps it was someone else from Blackdust, she could always ask King Helson to send anyone who had seen the boy and let them meet Edward to see if they recognized him. That was, of course, assuming the brown-haired man would stay that long, he said that he would only stay until he gathered enough money for a ship to Blackdust.

Then go somewhere he could be alone.

The Queen of Arendelle had no time to dwell on a foreigner's affairs especially one who wanted to leave as soon as possible. Elsa however, couldn't help but remember the somber expression he had on his face when he said he wanted to be alone. Seeing it on someone else's face pulled on her heartstrings and she couldn't help wanting to help him through whatever he was going through.

When she first laid eyes on him, he seemed to be a rough character when he was injured. However now that he was cleaned up, she could see that he was pretty handsome to look at. His body filled out the clothes she had given him in a more fit way than the bulky exterior Kristoff processed. He was well mannered and got along with Anna right away. She supposed that it could've been all a trick to get them to lower their guard down, however his desire to earn money was genuine.

Part of her wanted to probe him for as much information on Blackdust as possible but another part of her was intrigued and wanted to learn more about him. Thank goodness Anna couldn't read minds, if she could hear all the thoughts swirling around her head about Edward, then she would come up with the ridiculous idea that she was falling for him.

_Completely ridiculous….right?_

* * *

Meanwhile, in the mountains, the guard patrol was in a prone position, keeping out of sight of the cave that had three bandits patrolling the outside. The trail they had followed brought them up to the mountain and through some deep woods. When they could see the bandits patrolling, the guards decided to send the two of them back to Arendelle to report to the Queen while the other six remained.

The sergeant in charge of the remaining six signaled them to retreat back quietly so they could discuss their next move. They all climbed further down the mountain and into a cavern before covering their tracks and the entrance with snow. Once they were properly hidden, the sergeant began to speak to his men.

"Alright listen up, we might've found their camp, it will take a few hours for those two to reach the Queen and relay our position. Until then, we remain hidden. If they do not return by noon tomorrow we shall all return to Arendelle, if the bandit force is as big as we predicted then it will take time for them to move if they see the royal guard approaching. Even more, time to cover their tracks effectively, so for now we'll rest and take watch shifts. Private Paduk, you and I will go outside and hide under the snow, bring blankets so we can stay undetected."

Paduk's face nodded before widening in fear and pointed toward behind the sergeant. The man turned around to see someone was beginning to dig through the snow they piled up to cover the entrance. The rest of the guards began to scramble for their weapons while the sergeant put a finger to his lips to signal them to be quiet. Slowly he walked to the side of the cavern near the entrance and pulled out his pistol, he signaled his men to get into a firing line as they all waited for their sergeant to give his command to attack.

He could hear voices as they began to dig and could easily tell the bandits had followed them. Judging from the sounds, it seemed there may have been four of them, but with them so close to the bandit hideout he couldn't risk a fight. So whenever that first bandit got through the snow he would fire first and let his men fire through the snow. Then they would have to run before the bandits could catch up to them. It wasn't the greatest plan but they now knew where they were and that was all he was tasked to do by Captain Stonewell.

A few tense seconds passed as they waited, when a hand broke through the snow and the bandit's head peaked in, he didn't notice the pistol pointed at his temple.


	7. Chapter 7

Edward was waiting by the sleigh as Kristoff was off talking to a customer who ordered the ice. They had already unloaded all of it and the mountain man had said after they finished up here they'd be off to the castle to prepare for dinner. It was well into the evening with the sun beginning to go down. The young man looked down at the clothes that Elsa had lent him and frowned at the wear they had accumulated during the day. He could wear them again but he if he was indeed going to a dinner with the royal family, he'd like to have clean clothes on.

This brought him to the thought that burdened his mind, he was loathed to ask the Royals for another change of clothes. He also doubted the 30% he was going to receive from Kristoff would be enough to pay for clothes and a room for the night. The only option he had left was to ask the ice harvester if he could borrow some clothes for tonight. The mountain man may be a larger man than Edward but the wonderful addition to most sleeveless vests were they came with a belt to tighten the article of clothing. The longer sleeves of the shirt he would wear under the vest was another issue. But he planned on rolling up the sleeves to his elbows in a way that still looked professional. The same could be done with the pants, the only thing that he couldn't change was the boots. Thankfully the snow and ice made little impact on the boots he wore throughout the day, so he was comfortable with wearing them.

Now all he had to do was muster the nerve to ask the man for some clothes, yet every time he tried an annoying thought would keep him from speaking.

_Asking someone who's given you job another favor is depending on them, dependence leads to inefficiency. _

The young man couldn't tell if those were his thoughts or the thoughts his instructors had drilled into him for so many years. Edward wanted to move on from the past but there would always be a piece that was firmly rooted in history, more than happy to repeat it.

His attention shifted back to the ice harvester who was walking back to the sleigh with a large smile on his face. In his hand was a bag that seemed to jingle with each step he took, it was by no means a fortune but for one's day work it sounded satisfying.

"Another order fulfilled, and here's your cut." Kristoff opened the bag and rifled through the contents for a few moments before pulling out a handful of coins. He gave them to the brown-haired man before securing the bag and shoving it in his pocket. Edward looked in his hand and was pleasantly surprised to feel a small bit of heft to it. There was enough in his hand for three days at an average price inn. When he looked up with a raised eyebrow, Kristoff pointed to an older man who was speaking with a sailor.

"You should be thanking Mr. Jorgen when we were talking about the payment he asked about you. I told you we found you yesterday with nothing but the clothes on your back and that you took ice harvesting to earn some money. The old man once told me that bandits had robbed him and left him with absolutely nothing, he says he wouldn't have survived the night if the decent couple who happened upon hadn't given him some money. He said he never saw them again so he couldn't repay their kindness, I guess this is his way of doing so."

Edward couldn't help but stare at the older man with gratitude. The man in question said nothing but nodded his head with a small smile before going back to his business with the sailor. Kristoff caught the look and couldn't help the smile that lit up his face, he also had put some extra in the cut as a small thank you for helping out but he wasn't going to tell the guy. "Alright, now that that's settled we should get going, we need to find you something to wear. Hopefully one of the suits Kai made ready for me will fit you."

The brown-haired man's head snapped over to the mountain man with a half jumbled refusal on the tip of his tongue.

"You're too kind but…"

Kristoff raised a hand to stop him.

"But you have nothing to wear because you worked in the only clothes you had that weren't torn. Don't worry about it, I never wear them, I hate how constricting they feel. You, on the other hand, seem to not mind them at all, were you some official or something in Blackdust?" Edward lightly chuckled before answering.

"No, father felt that one should always look immaculate, no matter the situation. He made me and brother live in suits and fine clothes for the longest time in everything we did. Whenever we would tear them, we'd be punished, _both of us._" Kristoff couldn't stop his jaw from dropping a bit as he imagined himself in that scenario. He could barely go a few hours without tearing _something _and the guy in front of him basically learned to live in one and got punished for it? Part of him wanted to say something but Edward continued as if he was commenting about the weather.

"When we learned how to move with them, we were then taught how to fight with them restricting us. I cannot tell you how hard is to swing a sword when the shirt you're wearing a size too small and you had to have every stitch and button secure. Not to mention the tears we'd receive while learning to fight counted also, so we were punished. After a while, you get used to it, but when you take it off, the freedom you feel is exhilarating." Edward turned to see the mountain man's stunned expression and couldn't help the chuckle that passed his lips. To be completely honest, he liked looking like a gentleman. It helped cover up the darker aspects of himself by portraying a man who was calm and collected.

"It's ok Kristoff, it's all in the past. Besides, I can remember all the times I ripped some of my brother's clothes just to get him in trouble. Even though I would be punished as well, it was fun to see his facial expression when he found out it was _his _clothes and not mine." Edward got the change in expression he was hoping for, the mountain man began to chuckle before they began mounting the sleigh.

"Well try to avoid ripping my clothes, Kai would pop a blood vessel if he found out."

"Don't tempt me, it's been a while since I've seen someone do that."

* * *

Elsa was finally putting the finishing touches on the mountain of paperwork that was on her desk. The documents ranged from invitations to trade agreements and policy letters that honestly could've waited for a later time. However, Queen Elsa strived to finish all her duties ahead of schedule and continue to work for the good of Arendelle. There was one document that she had in her hands that she reread over and over to be comfortable with its contents.

It was a letter to King Alrick that asked for Prince Ahimoth to come to Arendelle in a month, a few weeks earlier than the Winter Solstice gathering.

The gist of it explained their concerns about bringing them to the gathering without so much as meeting them, so she suggested they come early so she would get to know them. In the event that the two kingdoms were beneficial to one another and no potential issues would come up with them and a visiting kingdom Prince Ahimoth would be permitted to stay until the end of the Winter Solstice gathering.

Elsa had rewritten the letter three times to ensure it wouldn't offend King Alrick but for some reason, she felt that this letter would offend him. While it was true they needed to get to know one another, the King could take the letter as a statement saying she was going to judge them to see if they were worthy to attend her gathering.

_But isn't that what I'm doing?_

The platinum beauty covered her face with her hands and groaned beginning to feel the start of a headache. When she heard the doors to her study opened she suppressed the urge to groan even louder and put her hands down preparing to receive her visitor. When she saw her baby sister playfully smiling at her distress, Elsa couldn't help but even make a more exasperated groan.

"Not happy to see me?" Anna walked up with a smile on her face when she watched her sister put her hands back on her face but didn't miss the smile under them.

"I'm always happy to see you, Anna, I would just be happier if you came in with a box of chocolates and some red wine." The brunette chuckled a bit before going around her sister's desk and began rubbing her shoulders. While she was behind the blonde, Anna looked over her shoulder and read the letter that was addressed to Blackdust. After a few moments of reading, she had a few guesses as to why Elsa was groaning into her hands.

Normally, she would've brought it up and hopefully be able to help the blonde brainstorm some ideas to remedy the situation. However, she remembered the reason she came in and also felt that Elsa needed a break. "Well I know where to get some if you come to the main dining hall, we can have some appetizers before everyone gets here."

Elsa separated her fingers to look through them toward the large clock that was in the corner of her study. When she realized that it was a little bit over a quarter an hour before dinner she began to rise. She hadn't meant to let time get away from her like that.

"I'm sorry I guess I've been working too hard again, thank you for coming to get me." Anna gave her a quick hug before beginning to physically drag her out of the study and towards the dining hall

"It's no problem, Elsa, now we need to hurry, I saw Kai and Gerda already at the table. I'm sure Kristoff and Edward are back by now so they should be coming soon." When the two sisters made it to the dining hall they were immediately greeted by the two older servants who were almost like surrogate parents to them. After their parents died, Kai and Gerda had stepped up and seen to the two of them as if they were their own children.

Kai would always impress the importance of acting regal and would scold them both (usually Anna) on behaving as royalty should. However, he was also patient and understanding which lead the sisters being able to come with him with anything. Gerda was mother hen for the royal sisters, she was fiercely protective yet pampered the two. When she had first met Kristoff, the mountain man could feel her scanning him to the smallest detail due to Anna's attraction to him. At first, she was wary of the man but after hearing all he did for Anna, Gerda took him under a loving wing.

The death of her parents really hit Elsa hard, especially with her isolation from Anna. If it weren't for the constant support that the two servants had given her over the years she shuddered to think where she'd be now. The two stood up in their chairs before bowing.

"Good evening Queen Elsa and Princess Anna." Kai would always address them with their titles no matter how much they asked him not to. At first, Anna grew quickly annoyed with it and once tried ordering him to stop, however, the older man refused to say that addressing her any less was a lack of respect. Gerda was less uptight and always addressed them with terms of endearment whenever they weren't in a formal setting.

"Are you two sweethearts doing well?" The royal sisters nodded at the older woman before taking their seats next to them. Elsa, of course, at the end with Anna to her right and Kai with Gerda next to him on her left. The other servants had set seven plates, Kristoff sat next to Anna with another plate next to his, while there was an extra plate next to Gerda for their newest guest.

Thinking of him, Elsa hoped that they all could learn a little more about the stranger. While privately, she hoped she could learn more about Blackdust from him if he proved trustworthy. If he could at least some of the rumors around the kingdom it would be a big help. Her thoughts were interrupted when the doors opened to reveal Kristoff and Sven walking towards them. He has dressed in a light blue long sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up under a black sleeveless vest with blue trimming. At his waist was a red sash with brown trousers that were tucked in his usual pointed boots. Sven looked to be freshly bathed and brushed so there would be no shedding in the castle. The bandage on his leg was also freshly dressed and the veterinarian said that he was healing faster than they thought.

Anna slowly and regally walked up and got into Kristoff's personal space with an unreadable expression on her face. The mountain man began to sweat when he remembered the last time they were together. She had declared he was on probation until further notice, he hoped by the time he got back she would've calmed down but the look on her face said otherwise. Pivoting with the grace of royalty, Anna went over to Sven before a smile broke out on her face and she began scratching his chin.

Elsa put a hand to her mouth to cover the sight of Kristoff frowning and crossing his arms then turning the other way looking like a pouting child. It seems that he was a little jealous of his friend getting more attention from his girlfriend than he was. Everyone began to settle into their seats with Sven sitting a little off the table next to Anna, now all they waited for was the last two members for their dinner.

The minutes ticked by as they all had some small talk before the doors opened again with Edward walking in, except he wasn't alone. On his shoulders was Olaf who was waving at everyone. "Look guys, I'm finally tall!" The young man carrying the snowman chuckled before throwing the little guy on his opposite shoulder eliciting a squeal of happiness.

Elsa's eye widened a bit at the display, generally whenever people met Olaf for the first time they'd be put off by the fact he was a walking talking snowman. Yet it looked like Edward treated him like an excited child which warmed her heart. During the year of her reign she's met many foreign dignitaries and generally ones who could not accept the tiny snowman had trouble accepting her powers. This led to them attempting to either take advantage of her to gain leverage to dissuade her from freezing their kingdom to them being suspicious of her.

Seeing Edward playing with the tiny snowman earned some trust in her eyes, it seemed that he truly wasn't afraid of her abilities. It almost hurt to cut the interaction short but dinner was about to start. "Alright Olaf, I think it's time Edward put you down so we can start dinner, don't you think?"

The little snowman looked up from his perched and nodded before hopping down then waddled to his seat next to Kristoff. Edward checked his borrowed clothes for small snowflakes and began whipping them off. The ice harvester had been gracious enough to lend him a light brown long-sleeved collared shirt with a darker brown sleeveless vest with buttons. His trousers matched the vest and he tucked the bottoms into his boots. The outfit wasn't terribly baggy on him due to the buttons but judging the raised eyebrow by a plump smartly dressed man in next to Elsa, they could tell it didn't belong to him. Edward bowed at the waist toward Elsa before taking the remaining seat next to the older woman.

With everyone finally here Elsa rang the small bell that was next to her and servants began to enter the hall carrying plates of food. They set the table and bowed before leaving, Anna was the first one to make her plate which of course included chocolate as well as a beautifully roasted duck and some rice. Kai and Gerda were next, they took some vegetables as well as soup. Kristoff stiffly filled his plate, all the while trying to look as well mannered as possible but Edward had already counted four mistakes he made but chose to say nothing. Olaf already had a plate set for him by a servant since his small arms had no way of reaching over to grab the food. Given his constitution, Elsa had asked the servants to prepare his meal accordingly. His plate consisted of rice, soft vegetables, and soup.

That left only Elsa and Edward with empty plates, the blonde generally waited until everyone made their plates since she ate the least. She raised an eyebrow at the way Edward continued to look around the spread, darting from one delicacy to the next. "Edward is the food not to your liking, I can ask the chefs to make something else if you like?" The young man instantly looked up like a deer in headlights before shaking his head with his hands raised.

"No the food looks amazing your Majesty, I just haven't seen so much in a long time is all." He instantly began to fix his plate with all the manners he's learned as a child when his plate was full he began eating. The young man focused all of his attention on his food and ate the way a gentleman should, however, what got everyone's attention around him was the speed at which he ate. He used his utensils to cut up and his food into bite-sized portions with such grace and began to _inhale _his meal. Everyone at the table watched him and tried to see if he actually chewed, however, all they saw was a piece went into his mouth, he would swallow before his utensil retrieved another piece and repeated the process. It didn't take him long to clean his plate and put his utensils down before whipping his chin with a napkin then looked up to see everyone staring at him.

He instantly when over a mental checklist of what he did to ensure that he executed all the manners he was taught. When he concluded that he had done everything a gentleman should he raised an eyebrow before speaking. "Why is everyone looking at me like that?" Kristoff was the first one to pull through his stupor and answered.

"It's just, we haven't seen anyone eat so fast. For a second there I was worried you were going to choke the way you just swallowed the food." Edward chuckled a bit before scratching his head.

"Yeah I have quite the ravenous appetite, I apologize if it offended you." Before anyone could reassure him that he didn't they all heard the clatter of food hitting the ground and turned to Olaf. apparently, he had tried to imitate the way Edward ate and stuffed his food down his mouth...only for it to come out the other side of his head and to the floor. He turned his head completely around to look at the food on the ground before turning it back and chuckled.

"Not as easy as it looks, and I don't have a stomach."

* * *

Private Paduk ran as fast as his legs could carry him, in one hand was a pistol while the other was clamped on his side where blood slowly seeped out. The events that had happened thirty minutes ago were burned into his memory, the ambush they set went horribly wrong. The guards managed to kill the first few bandits but more just kept pouring in, they began to fight with swords and spears to combat the onslaught. At first, it seemed hopeless until the sergeant pulled a small black ball from his pocket with a string coming out the top.

At first, he had no idea what it was but when the sergeant ran to the flame in the cave, it clicked in his head and Paduk abandoned his opponent and ran. The other privates seemed to understand as well and tried to disengage their opponents with little success. Before he could get to the mouth of the cave, a bandit blocked his path and began to grapple him. They struggled for a moment but when Paduk heard the sound of the fuze close by, he did the only thing he could do at that point.

He spun them around so the bandit's back was facing the explosive and gave him the biggest bear hug ever. All he remembered after that was being knocked off his feet and flying out of the cave. It seemed that the bandits had carried sacks of gunpowder with them and when the bomb went off, so did the sacks. Paduk hit the snow hard and his ears rang even harder, he didn't want to get up and would've stayed down if he didn't see the sergeant calling for him. With no small amount of pain, he pushed the dead body off and made his way to the sergeant and dropped to his knees to survey the damage.

It wasn't good.

While the sergeant managed to throw the explosive away and tried to stay close to the wall to avoid the blast, he was caught multiple times with the gunpowder sacks exploding. His skin was red and slick with blood as well as burn marks. His breathing was labored however his eyes were focused, he still had a duty to Arendelle and this wasn't going to stop him in the slightest.

"Paduk, listen to me, you need to run. Get to Arendelle and inform the Queen that we found the base. There will be more bandits to check the sound of the explosion, that will buy you time. Hopefully the advance scouts we sent earlier will make it in time to rally a significant force and they can meet you on your way down."

The sergeant stopped when they heard men shouting from up the mountain, he hurriedly pushed the private away before reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a pistol. He held it out to Paduk with his strength beginning to dwindle as well as the light in his eyes. "Long live Arendelle."

With that, he dropped the pistol in the snow and stopped breathing altogether. Paduk stared at his sergeant's body for a moment before a gunshot rang out and he felt a burning pain in his side. A silhouette was descending towards him and his brain forced his body to take the weapon and run as fast as he possibly could down the mountain. This brought him to the present where he still ran hoping the snow would cover his tracks. Not once did he turn around to see if he was still being followed, he hoped the scouts had made it to Arendelle and the Queen sent them reinforcements. He prayed they would run into him as he ran through the thick trees.

Before long he saw the trees beginning to get thinner until he pushed through them and made it out the forest. The sight that greeted him made his feet stop. On the ground were the two scouts that had left earlier, their bodies were still and had red snow underneath them. Surrounding the bodies were five bandits and one man dressed in a black cloak with the hood down. Paduk could only say one word before he was gunned down by the five bandits that had noticed him.

"Prince…"

* * *

The dinner had actually gone pretty well, the main topic was mostly about Edward. He told them that he lived in Blackdust as a child and joined the military as soon as he could. He regaled them of his travels and the many wonders he's seen in the world. Anna and Olaf fired question after question about the things he's seen, while everyone else at the table quietly listened. After a while they finished dinner and Kai and Gerda coordinated the servants to clean up and left the dining hall.

Anna suggested they relocated to the parlor to continue their conversation, which leads to all of them sitting in front of a fire. Anna was sitting on a couch in between Edward and Kristoff, with Olaf on the floor closest to the fire and Elsa in her own chair on Edward's left. The brown-haired man had rolled his sleeves up as the heat of the fire filled the room.

"Alright I get that you travel a lot but you haven't really talked about where you're from a lot, what's it like?" This got Elsa's attention as she stared at the young man who grew quiet. It seemed that he needed to bounce the question in his head a few times before he could answer.

"I guess in one word, I'd say industrious. Most people spend all day working, whether it'd be in the mines or not you rarely saw anyone lounging around. Even children were forced to work to keep a roof over their heads, every day was a struggle for the next meal. Unless you were a soldier, if you were in the military, you received a home and three meals a day. Most joined to escape poverty, however being a soldier in Blackdust's military is hard, harder than most kingdoms. Their training methods are brutal yet highly effectively continuously breeding the strongest of warriors and sending those who could not hack it back into the dirt." Anna tried to imagine such a place and couldn't help but think of the kids at the orphanage she visited and played with every week. She couldn't stand the idea of them being forced to either work just to keep a roof over their heads or become a soldier. She couldn't help the next question that came out of her mouth.

"Is that what happened to you?" Elsa mentally facepalmed at her sister's question, something like that would bring up painful memories. She was about to apologize for her sister when Edward shook his head.

"No, my father decided to press me and my brother into military service at a young age. He said there was only so much he could teach, but the experience would be the greatest teacher. He had spent years teaching us how to fight and by the time we were allowed to formally join the military, we were more competent than the senior trainee candidates. After a while they sent me and my brother out into the world in opposite directions, the last time I saw him was the night before. He challenged me to a fight and beat me, saying that he'll always be the best. As long as I could remember, he was always the best at everything. I tried my best to keep up with him but he kept getting better and better."

Elsa noticed the faraway look in the young man's eyes that Anna and Kristoff didn't seem to notice as fatigue began to overtake them. They were still listening but it got harder and harder for them to focus on the story.

"After a few years, I left the military and began to travel on my own. Just to experience life with my eyes. I doubt he left the military, knowing him he's probably fighting as we speak just for kicks.." The faraway look had a flash of anger in them before it disappeared leaving a somewhat somber expression on his face. He sighed before turning to Anna about to ask her if he answered her question only to see her softly snoring on Kristoff's shoulder who was also sleeping as well. Edward couldn't help the smile that crept onto his lips as he took in the couple.

During the day, Kristoff wouldn't stop talking about Anna as they worked. At first, it annoyed the young man but when he saw the passion in his eyes as he spoke he couldn't help but continue to put up with the man. He didn't know them long but anyone could see the love they had for each other if they just observed them. Even though the brunette was upset at the mountain man she was fiercely protective of him and he saw the way she looked at the ice harvester every so often as they had dinner.

"Cute aren't they?" Edward turned to the beautiful Queen as her eyes were on the two love birds. He could see the love and pride that the woman had for her sister and her mountain man, however deep inside her eyes though he could see something else. He recognized it because he had the same look in his eyes whenever he looked at a happy family.

_Loneliness_

Part of him wanted to reach out and brush away that look in her eye, however, he knew that she was royalty and a Queen. He had no right to touch her. Instead, he turned to face her with a small smile.

"They are very cute, it'd be a shame if someone were to drop some snow on them." The blonde laughed her sinfully melodious laugh before turning to the young man.

"That would be a childish application of my abilities, Edward."

"She's your sister though, childish pranks keep you two close."

Elsa could see the twinkle in his eyes as he said that and couldn't help but wonder. "Are you speaking from experience?" The young man shrugged before answering.

"My brother and I used to be close as kids because we would always have fun pranking the other."

Elsa nodded but then something came to mind and she was hesitant to ask but the inviting look in his eyes gave her the push she needed. "You two used to be close, why aren't you now?"

Edward's face darkened for a moment as he turned away while remaining silent. The blonde instantly felt guilty for the sudden shift in the young man's face and before she could apologize he answered in a low voice.

"We haven't been the same since our mother died."

That one sentence made Elsa's heart stop cold for a moment. The guilt she felt before was nothing compared to what she was feeling now. She mentally scolded herself, why would she ask such a question? His family matters were his alone and weren't any of her business. She changed a look in his eyes and was surprised to see in blue depths there was only acceptance loathing in his gaze. His expression was far off as if he was locked in a memory for a moment before it all disappeared and he faced her with the same smile he had before.

"You should cherish the time you have with your sister, you never know what life could throw your way."

Elsa couldn't help but notice the way he tried to cover up the sadness he must've felt a moment ago with a smile. He reminded her so much of herself it was almost alarming, Anna would probably agree if she was awake right now. A small snort made the two of them turn to the sleeping couple next to them.

Anna had fallen onto Kristoff's lap as his hand rested on her shoulder, both were obviously still asleep but even so, they could somehow stay in tune with one another. Elsa smiled before getting out of her seat and offering a hand to the young man. "Perhaps we can relocate to my study and continue our conversation there so we don't wake them."

"What about Olaf?" Edward turned and quickly dismissed the thought when he noticed the snowman was hypnotized by the dancing flames. His eyes reflected the golden colors as his face had a blank happy expression on it, it seemed he was completely oblivious to the world around him. Elsa waved her other hand and made the snow flurry above him a tad bigger so even if he were to get even closer to the fire, he wouldn't melt so quickly.

"I think he's quite preoccupied at the moment." Edward agreed and took her offered hand, fighting to fight off the waves of feelings that flowed through his arm as he grasped her small gentle hand. The waves almost made him twitch if it wasn't for how hard his body stiffened at her touch. The man couldn't help but lose himself a for moment in her blue eyes as he rose to his feet. The way her eyes sparkled in the glow of the fire what's downright intoxicating, his soul told him to let go but his brain would not listen. There were kingdoms that would consider touching royalty as an act of treason but right now he couldn't bring himself to care in the slightest. He didn't know why but Edward was completely under a different spell from this beautiful woman than she had on Arendelle.

Elsa on the other hand, couldn't help but hold her breath when his hand enveloped hers and she felt an instant _heat_that flowed into her hand. She had shaken hands with many foreigners dignitaries and most of them were men but none of them ever made her feel this way. The heat traveled up her arm and throughout her entire body, she was so happy that the dress she was wearing now had long sleeves because she could only guess how many goosebumps went up her arms.

Her brain kept telling her she should let go, that she didn't know this man very well and the only thing that should concern her about him was the information he could have on Blackdust. Her soul, on the other hand, kept her from pulling away. It was completely intoxicated on the feeling this made her feel with just a touch. She couldn't help but trace the chiseled forearms that were laid bare with her eyes.

When he and her captain had that handshake she could see the way his muscles bunched as they squeezed the older man's hand and she could tell her captain was being overpowered. Such brute strength lied in those arms that could easily crush her dainty hand. However, his hand was gentle as if it was cradling a small flower, the knowledge of him being capable of strength yet be so gentle called out to something feminine in her.

_And his eyes…_

The deep blue eyes that he had were soul deep. They were inviting yet guarded. When she watched him earlier today, his eyes were a lot more closed off. Even at dinner, he may have smiled and looked happy as he spoke but his eyes gave away nothing. Now that they were focused on hers, she could see that deep down he was a very tortured person. The type of person who would put the needs of others ahead of his own with little thought and expected nothing in return. The type of person whose past haunted his nights and made him closed off to the outside world.

_Just like me…_

Her brain's warnings grew quiet as her hand began to lift on its own with the intention to place it on his cheek. For a long time, she wanted someone who had been through the same thing she had. The loneliness and guilt that plagued her for so long, she hoped it'd be someone else with powers like her but she seemed to find someone just like her without being an Elemental. Elsa wanted to know what had turned him this way, the happier persona he portrayed himself earlier looked to be what he used to have been like. Growing up she wanted someone like her to save her because she didn't think anyone could understand. Anna shattered her expectations and saved her despite the obstacles, now looking at someone with the same eyes as her, she couldn't help but want to help him. To save him from the way he felt about himself, she knew it wasn't her business but she couldn't help herself.

Her hand almost reached his cheek when a soft sneeze from her sister snapped them both out of whatever trance the other cast on them. They let go of each other's hands and turned to Anna who was _still _sleeping on Kristoff's lap. Elsa couldn't help the blush that crept on her cheeks when her brain caught up with what had just transpired. Edward was also flustered and couldn't help but send God a quick thanks for having the sleeping sister snap him out of it.

He coughed in his hand before turning and gesturing to the door. "Perhaps we should relocate." Elsa couldn't face him and nodded before taking quick steps to the door which Edward held out for her. When the two went through and closed the door, one of Anna's eyes crept open and she had a smile on her face.

_Now we have something to talk about at our next sleepover._

On the way to the Queen's study, neither of them said a word to one another. Elsa was trying to calm the heart beating so hard against her chest and mitigate the blush that dusted her cheeks. Edward was berating himself for his behavior and thought that the beautiful blonde next to him was offended by his actions. He kept thinking of what to say to apologize since he felt a simple 'I'm sorry' wouldn't do.

A moment passed and they made it to the study, the young man held the door for the blonde then entered behind her. The sight that greeted him actually didn't surprise him, the way she walked, talked, and acted screamed grace. Her responses were highly intellectual as well as her eyes being inquisitive. There were bookshelves lined along the walls filled with scrolls and hardcover books. Even from here, Edward could see the books didn't have the usual layer of dust that indicated they haven't been used.

Most people would have a large collection of books on display to make them seem more educated yet they would not touch them. That wasn't the case here, he could plainly see that the queen was an avid reader and treated her books preciously. A modest oak desk stood in between two windows, there were documents and books neatly stacked on the top and a candle in the corner. A fireplace with a couch in front of it was built in between two bookcases that could easily illuminate the entire room.

Elsa began to approach it using the moonlight from the windows as a guide when Edward strode past her and already had the matches in his hand. With a flick of the wrist, the fire came to life, the young man used an iron poker to stoke the flames a bit before returning to the tool and turning to face the woman.

For a moment neither of them said a word as they looked everywhere but the other person in the room with them. Huffing in frustration at himself, Edward cleared his throat and slightly bowed at the waist before speaking.

"Your Majesty, I would like to apologize for my behavior earlier. I have no idea what possessed me to touch you longer than what was necessary, please accept my apology." Elsa's head snapped to the man and she couldn't help the stutter that came out of her mouth as she hurriedly spoke.

"N-no, it was fine, I guess we both just lost our heads for a moment. And please just call me Elsa if we aren't in a formal setting." Edward nodded as he straightened back up and looked around the study to avoid falling back under the trance her eyes had put him in earlier. He recognized a few of the books that lined the shelves when he looked over to the desk he saw one of his favorite books on the side. He chuckled as he picked it up and turned to the woman who was watching him.

"Shakespeare? Please don't say Romeo and Julietis your favorite work on his." Elsa chuckled and gave him a devilish grin as she walked next to him then plucked the book out of his hands.

"Alright, I won't say it."

"So many wonderful works and you pick one of his most widely known…" The young man shook his head with a dismissive wave of his hand. The blonde raised an eyebrow before poking him in the chest with a daring smile.

"Alright, then what's _your _favorite then?"

"The Complete Works of Julius Caesarof course." Elsa started to haughtily laugh as she placed her book down.

"And here I was hoping for a more refined taste in art after you question mine." Edward could see the playful glint in her eyes and couldn't help but play along.

"Julius Caesar is something that one should be well versed in, it shows what a single man is capable of if he applies himself." The blonde made a dismissive gesture as she spoke.

"It's always about the men in history if it a woman then it'd be even less known."

"Well, you know what they say. Behind every great man, there's a great woman guiding him." Elsa couldn't help her mind going blank for a moment at his words. As a single monarch, she had been constantly underestimated because of the fact she was a young female. It was refreshing to see a different opinion among the monotony of veiled misogyny.

"I wish more people shared your opinions, Master Edward." The man shrugged before speaking again and looking over her desk at the books that were neatly stacked.

"Everyone wishes for rats to not exist but they remain unchanged." As he looked at the book titles a half written letter caught his eye. On the top was a name that made him focus solely on the letter.

_King Alrick_

He knew he shouldn't look into other kingdoms' handwritten letters, _especially _one on the _Queen's _desk but he couldn't help but read it. It basically contained that Arendelle asked Blackdust to send Prince Ahimoth earlier to get to know their kingdom before making any decisions on coming to the Winter Solstice gathering. It made sense, Blackdust was very secretive, having a wild card at a gathering of neighboring kingdoms was foolish. As he pondered the letter, he didn't notice Elsa watching him.

_Now's my chance._

Her brain told her she should ask him about Blackdust and get information from him. The thoughtful way he looked into the letter proved he knew something but she remained quiet. Their short exchange had brought out the open look in his eyes and she could tell he enjoyed speaking to her. Judging by the way he looked at the letter, his thoughts were focused and stiff like a soldier. If she asked now, he'd probably give her a professional answer.

_Which is what I want...right?_

Opening her mouth Elsa prepared her words that would determine who she would be talking to in the next moment. The professional that the Queen of Arendelle wanted to speak to or the Edward that Elsa had begun to grow to like speaking with.

"Do you like The Tempest?"

Well that was a long chapter I hope you all enjoyed it drop a review please and stay tuned.


	8. Chapter 8

Three weeks had passed since the dinner, Edward had gone with Kristoff every day since working with him ice harvesting. Sven's leg had healed and he led the two horses they stole from the bandits while pulling the sleigh. Kristoff even bought a trailer to attach to his sled to haul even more ice. It took some time but with time, the young man had become a capable ice harvester who could keep with an average harvester. Kristoff, of course, was far more than an average ice harvester and pulled in the most blocks a day, but with the extra help, he was able to get in bigger hauls before they rode back to Arendelle to avoid the bandits.

After they deliver their order, Kristoff would go to the castle for the day to be with Anna. after the dinner, Elsa had offered a room at the castle for the young man but was refused. Edward stated he'd find accommodations in the village with ease and used the money of his first day to do just that.

Not that Edward rarely used the room he got at a local inn. He managed to get two extra jobs on alternating days, one day he'd be unloading cargo and the other he'd be working on maintaining the Arendelle guards' arms. The jobs would usually go on until late at night where he goes to his room to sleep for a few hours and be at the stables getting ready to harvest ice. Due to this schedule he rarely got to see Elsa and Anna, he'd always tell the mountain man to give them his regards but secretly he couldn't help but miss them both.

At the castle, the Queen and staff were all preparing for the Prince's arrival. Elsa had dived into work and tried getting into future matters ahead of time so she could play hostess for the Prince. Anna wanted to help and being bored from Kristoff leaving, she volunteered to be trained by politicians handpicked by Elsa to turn her into a diplomat. At first, the lessons weren't going well with the boundless energy that radiated from the princess but when they offered to teach her how to use a sword if she did well...drastic improvement took place.

With everyone running around busy it was quite rare for them to spend time with each other outside of family dinners. Edward hadn't attended another dinner since the first one due to his other jobs, at first, the royal sisters thought they'd offended him somehow but he shot that down when they asked him a week later when he was in the stables.

"I'm just usually working at that time, and I don't wanna ask for a day off when I get one every other day to work at my other job. The only reason I can keep both is that I work late nights and I accomplish enough work for two days in just one. I truly enjoyed dinner with all of you and would love to do it again but I just don't have the time." Elsa accepted with a sad smile but of course, Anna wouldn't be dissuaded.

"So what about before work, you could have breakfast with us?" While it was true that Kristoff had breakfast with the sisters the young man was always gone except when they were about to go up the mountain. Edward chuckled before answering.

"I don't eat breakfast, I just sleep until it's almost time to go." Anna would have suggested that he sleep less but she remembered that her tutors suggested the same and blushed in embarrassment.

"That can't be very healthy…" Taking her small comment as a sign of acceptance on the idea that he wouldn't be seeing them very often, Edward continued loading the sleigh with supplies. The two men left shortly after that and spent the next two weeks busting their rumps to fill out ice orders. This led to the present with the two men riding back down the mountain to deliver one of their final orders for the season. Between working three jobs and the numerous orders Edward had begun well on his way to getting all the money he needed.

The room and board at the inn as well as food and clothes had been strictly budgeted when he first started, but now he was in good financial standing. When the mountain man gave him his pay, the blonde would put the other 70% in a trunk hidden in the stables. Edward might've peeked once or twice and lowly whistled at the small fortune. From what he understood, Kristoff could very well live in the castle if he so chooses, instead, he generally slept in the stables with Sven. Food was provided for him whenever he'd join the sisters and he generally would wear the same clothes he already had and whatever suit the castle staff gave him.

There honestly wasn't much he needed money for with the way his life was yet after hiring the brown-haired man, Kristoff had gone order after order. The young man didn't mind of course since he got paid almost daily with the work they'd put in but with silence between them as they rode he couldn't help but ask.

"What you saving up for?" The blonde's eyes slid over to his companion and he shrugged in a noncommittal fashion.

"What makes you think I'm saving up for something?"

"The small fortune I saw you stash away in the stables. With that much money, you could easily expand your ice business. Buy another sleigh, get more tools, pay more people, etc." Edward knew that wasn't the reason if it was the ice harvester wouldn't have been in such a rush to fulfill all these orders before winter really hits. Plus there was the fact he _hid _the chest in the place he slept in all the time, he could've kept it in the castle but instead chose to keep it to himself away from everyone. The way Kristoff kept glancing at him and the road rapidly confirmed he was on the right track.

"Maybe I just want to have a rainy day stash just in case?" Edward laughed, if he had that small fortune he could get by till spring not having to lift a finger

"Or maybe you don't want anyone to find out about it because there's something you want before winter really hits." Kristoff sighed in defeat before slightly turning his head.

"Can you keep a secret?"

_More than you'll ever know. _

Edward nodded his head and waited for the man to speak.

"I'm planning on ordering a ring." At first, Edward immediately thought of a ring for some part of the sleigh but when he considered the fortune he quickly dismissed that theory. Then another one appeared in his mind and he mentally slapped himself for not realizing sooner what he meant when he said ring. Kristoff was going to get an _engagement ring_. He knew it wasn't a birthday gift since the redhead had told him she was born on the summer solstice. It could've been just a gift for an anniversary but with the amount of money he saw, it was more likely an engagement ring.

"You planning to pop the question?" The blonde nodded and was jostled when he received a hard slap on his back. He almost lost grip of the reins as he turned to see his companion with a large smile on his face.

"Well don't look so down, I know Anna's going to say yes. You two are going to be so happy together." Kristoff didn't seem to share the enthusiasm as he turned back towards the road.

"It's not her I'm worried about saying yes…"

That put a more serious expression on Edward's face as he understood what the man meant. It wasn't Anna that he was worried about asking, he worried about asking for Elsa's blessing to ask for her sister's hand. The two of them seemed cordial enough and were joined over the bond of loving the redhead immensely, however, Anna _was _still a princess. Generally, monarchs would use their line of royalty to marry into alliances with neighboring kingdoms. It happened very often but Edward could not see Elsa using her sister in such a capacity. The fact still remains she was a princess and he was a simple ice harvester.

Ordinarily, he'd have no chance.

However Edward recalled the story on how the two of them met and saved Arendelle, he couldn't help but root for the man.

"Come on you love Anna, Elsa knows that. I'm sure she'll give you her blessing regardless if you're an ice harvester or a trench digger."

"I appreciate the vote of confidence but me and her are worlds apart. Have you seen me at a dining table, I'm so worried about making a mistake I barely eat, I don't know the first thing about royalty, and I was raised by trolls for crying out loud…"

_Trolls huh, definitely need to pay them a visit._

"...there are suitors lining up for her every time they throw a ball and all of them look at me like I'm a speck of dirt. I try not to let it bother me but sometimes I think that I have nothing to offer that could top what they could offer her." The ice harvester honestly looked extremely subdued and down when he finished speaking. It was odd for Edward to be in this situation, trying to encourage someone concerning their love life.

Growing up, he could count the number of relationships he had on one hand and none of them was anything close to love. They only lasted a night, a distraction that would honestly leave him worse than when he started.

_Heh Heh, none of them could handle it. _

He shook his thoughts as he focused on his friend, he may have only known Kristoff for a month but he had genuinely grown to enjoy his company. Seeing him down in dumps made him want to pull him out of it almost immediately.

"So you say they offer her so much more than what you could? Then let me ask you this if that Hans guy came her offering her a mountain of riches and all the alliances in the world, do you really think she'd say yes?" A flash of rare anger appeared in the man's face at the mention of the prince's name. When Kristoff told him about Hans, he did so with no effort to hide how angry the man made him when he tried to take over Arendelle.

The question got its desired result as the ice harvester whirled in his direction. "No way! She'd send that asshat back to the pile of shit he crawled from. And if I ever see that guy again I won't let Anna hold me back this time, I don't care if he's king of the entire world, I'll kick his ass!" Kristoff was red-faced after his outburst, Sven looked back for a moment before turning forward. Edward only smiled at the angry expression on the man's face before patting his back.

"And that, Kristoff, is what you have more than any suitor could offer, you love Anna enough to protect her from anything. I know it, Elsa knows it, and most importantly, she knows it. The only thing standing in your way to walking down the aisle is you man, so I suggest you man up and pop the question before more suitors come asking for her hand." The anger on his face evaporated before turning into a smile and he faced the road again.

"Yeah, I wanted to ask her before the Winter Solstice gathering so she could tell those guys she was already engaged. I just hope that Ahimoth guy doesn't try to make a move on her."

"Nah Ahimoth would rather fight the royal guard instead of making a move on her, besides he already found the love of his life."

Edward's eyes widened at what he just said and _desperately _hoped the ice harvester would realize the gravity of his words. That hope was crushed when Kristoff turned his way again with a raised eyebrow.

"You know Prince Ahimoth?"

* * *

_Today's the day. _

Elsa was standing at the harbor with Anna waiting to see the ship from Blackdust, both eager to see the Prince of the secretive kingdom. As she waited she thought back to a few weeks ago when she had the chance to ask Edward about Blackdust but chose to have a jovial conversation instead. She wouldn't describe the feeling she had as regret but part of her lamented it would've been better if she had asked about at least the Prince.

"What do you think he's like?" Elsa turned to her sister who was rocking on her heels as she searched the horizon. Her lessons as a diplomat had been going really well as of late, while she was not ready to travel to foreign kingdoms, she was intuitive when she sat in council meetings.

"I don't know Anna, the only thing I could learn about him was that he was in the military."

"Aren't most of them in the military?"

Elsa chuckled, that little tidbit of information was a stereotype from everyone that came from Blackdust. King Frederick's warning about their warriors bounced around in the back of her head as well as Baron Rudolf's concern about the prince. When she sent her letter to Blackdust, King Alrick responded immediately with gracious words, he didn't seem at all offended by the letter.

The two of them then noticed a ship with Blackdust's flag coming in the distance, they were accompanied by two slightly smaller ships that seemed to act as an escort. The two royal sisters prepared themselves for anything as the ship came close to the port and the walkway was dropped. A man walked down the plank of wood and before stopping in front of the two women.

The first thing they noticed was how large he was, he easily towered over them, possibly being Oaken's height. He was not fat by any stretch of the word, the suit jacket he wore barely concealed a well-proportioned mass of muscle that rivaled the large trader. He had short blonde hair that reached the base of his neck and touched his eyebrows. His pale face had short sideburns with a goatee at the point of his chin, the only other distinguishing feature about him was his green eyes and the scar he had on the side of his left eyebrow. It went diagonally up under the small curtain of hair and ended halfway down the side of his cheek.

For a moment the monster of a man said nothing but continued to stare down the two women who were trying their hardest not to look uncomfortable. Anna fought the urge to look away or squeak as Elsa kept telling herself that royalty didn't shrink in anyone's presence. Before the Queen could give her greetings, the man's face split into a massive grin then spoke with excitement dancing in his eyes.

"I can't believe I finally get to meet the Snow Queen! Ever since I heard about your coronation I've been trying for months to get the King to agree to me coming here, when he finally said yes I couldn't help but jump on the first ship here! Are you really an Elemental, please show me something." Seeing the large man act as excited as a little child threw off Elsa completely. She expected he'd be some stern battle-hardened warrior looking to exploit her in some way but her first impression of him was that he also reminded her of Anna.

Speaking of her sister, the redhead couldn't help her jaw hitting the floor as she continued to stare at the large man with an unbelievable expression. Fortunately, he hadn't noticed and Elsa was able to pinch her arm to get her to close her mouth as she addressed the man.

"Welcome to Arendelle and yes I am the Snow Queen but I don't believe I've had the pleasure of knowing your name."

The man's expression didn't change in the slightest as he stared at her like an expectant child about to receive a reward. It was as if he hadn't heard or completely ignored what she said before she could repeat herself a voice from the ship interrupted her.

"This is Prince Ahimoth of Blackdust, please forgive his manners. When he gets really excited about something, it's extremely hard to get him to focus on something else, I promise he meant no offense." The two sisters turned to see a slender brunette woman wearing a yellow elegant summer gown walking towards them. She was roughly their height with hair that pulled back and braided into a low ponytail. Her soft brown eyes stood out on her porcelain skin that was slightly duller than Elsa's. The two sisters could only describe her as beautiful as she stood next to the large man and bowed her head to them.

"My name is Lilian, I am Prince Ahimoth's fiancee." That brought a small sigh of relief from the Queen since she wouldn't have to reject a proposal for her sister's hand. Anna snapped out of her trance before bouncing over to the woman with star twinkling in her eyes.

"You two are getting married?! Congratulations, I am SO jealous!" Elsa knew her sister enough to know that while she did want to get married she didn't fault Kristoff for not popping the question, he was always there for her and was attentive when he was. She felt loved by him and knew he felt the same, it would just be nice to say she was already married when someone would ask for her hand.

Lilian laughed before turning to Ahimoth who _still _hadn't moved and she reached up and pinched his ear, earning a hiss of pain from the man. He turned to her with a scowl on his face only for her to raise a fine eyebrow which made him shrink back before bowing to Elsa.

"Please forgive my overzealous behavior, I was extremely curious to see what kind of magic you had compared to the other Elementals I've seen." That made Elsa stop and stare up at the large man.

_He had met other Elementals also?_

Anna didn't have the decorum to stay quiet and voiced the exact same thoughts her sister had. "You've met other Elementals, what was that like?" Ahimoth shrugged before answering as bluntly as Edward had done when they first met him.

"Pretty bad was almost burned to death the first time and got electrocuted then sent through a building another time." The way he answered as if he was commenting about the weather surprised the royal sisters, perhaps he was more battle-hardened than the two gave him credit for. Before Anna could ask another question, Lilian cut in and addressed Elsa.

"Perhaps Ahimoth could regale you with tales of his military exploits at a later time your Majesty. it's been a bit of a journey and I wish to find sleeping arrangements before it gets dark out." The large man eyes' slid over to the woman with a meaningful stare that she would not meet but he knew she could feel it was directed at her. He put a hand on her shoulder and stood a bit closer to her with a bright smile.

"Yes, there isn't really a lot of room on our ships so the first thing I wanted to do was get a room at an inn as soon as we got here." Lilian looked up at him with a small smile before putting a hand on the one on her shoulder and rubbing his knuckles tenderly. The two sisters didn't miss the interaction and could tell that Lilian wanted to avoid the topic and Ahimoth supported her. It served to stroke Elsa's suspicions but both sisters couldn't help but smile at the small tender moment the two of them just witnessed. The Queen cleared her throat as she gestured towards a carriage she had ready for their arrival.

"Don't be absurd, we wouldn't let our guest stay in an inn we've already prepared rooms for you in the castle."

* * *

"So you know this guy?"

Edward considered lying but he knew he was caught so he decided to come clean. "Yeah me and him were comrades a few years ago after I parted ways with my brother I guess you could say me and him became brothers. We've been through a lot together, there's no one I'd rather have by my side."

"So you two are pretty close huh?"

That brought a grimace to the young man's face as he remembered the last time he saw his best friend. After everything they've been through, all the battles they've fought together and the near-death experiences were all for nothing when Edward betrayed him.

_There were bodies all over, blood flowed down the castle walls like rain. Soldiers warred against each other, fighting with everything on the line, ignoring the bodies of their comrades that were on the floor. Ahimoth fought with all he had, pushing through scores of enemy soldiers all trying to get to the throne room. His father was there waiting for him and he'd be there to support him, even if he had to go through every soldier in the castle to do it. _

_He should've been more careful of what he wished for. _

_Sitting before the doors of the throne room was his brother, the man who fought and bled for him more than any other. His short brown hair and collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up was easy to spot with all the armored bodies at his feet. In his hand was a curved sword that Ahimoth knew to be called a katana from a foreign land. On his waist was its sheath, neatly tucked into a belt loop so it wouldn't get in the way of his movement. _

_Ahimoth should've known better to let his guard down, there were dead bodies of men who were on his side surrounding his brother. That should've stopped him but he couldn't help calling him happy to see he survived the war that was going on. He blinked and the man disappeared before materializing in what seemed to be barely visible black dust right in front of him. When he looked into his eyes, the blue ones he was so accustomed to seeing were blood red with no shred of emotion underneath them. That's not what made him stop though…_

_It was the sword sticking into his chest and out his back that made Ahimoth stop. _

_Confusion made its way on to the man's face as he tried whispering his name only for his brother to swiftly remove the blade and watch the Prince fall. Before darkness could overtake him completely, Ahimoth managed to hear his brother speak with cold indifference. _

"_Father ordered no one to interfere with the King and his challenge."_

Edward would never forget the look in his friend's eyes as he fell that day, for years he hated himself so intensely at the thought he killed his friend. He thought about killing himself to pay the Prince back but circumstances made that impossible so he decided to be alone. When he found out that he was alive, joy _true joy _blossomed in his veins and he ran in the direction of Blackdust. It was then he remembered what happened and revised his plans, he still needed to travel to Blackdust but as far as Ahimoth was concerned, his best friend died that day.

"We were close but some things happened between us and it's better if we never see each other again. Which is why I'm asking you to not mention the fact that I know this guy to anyone." Kristoff opened his mouth to begin to protest but Edward cut him off.

"I'm serious Kristoff, this guy will likely try to kill me if I see him and I'm not going to be here long, when you close up I'm getting another job and will be gone before the Winter Solstice Gathering. Please just give me until then." This raised alarm bells in the ice harvesters head and he looked at his friend with a scrutinizing expression.

He thought back to when they first met, the way he effortless charged into the bandits with only his hands as weapons. He knew that Edward was military but he had heard a lot of rumors about the type of soldiers Blackdust had. The bloodthirsty, vicious, and ruthless men who would kill women and children did not fit his friend's personality. He remembered one of the few times they went out to a bar and someone tried starting a fight with him. The drunk patron went so far as spitting on Edward's face but the young man walked away saying that there was no reason to fight. He was kind, intellectual, supporting, and just a nice guy to be around. There were times he'd get a faraway expression on his face but he'd laugh it off after a moment

"What did you do to him that was so bad?"

"I betrayed him when he needed me most."

Kristoff couldn't help but narrow his eyes before asking his final question.

"Then what's stopping you from betraying us?"

"The fact that I want to get out of here as soon and as quietly as possible, landing myself on Arendelle's shit list is something I'd like to avoid."

* * *

Ahimoth and Lilian had settled into the room they were given and were now sitting in front of a fireplace. After they left the two sisters, Lilian barely said a word as she stared intensely at the fire. The large man watched her for a moment before getting up and kneeling in front of her and taking one of her hands in his large ones.

"Massage for your thoughts?"

Lilian couldn't help but chuckle a bit before turning her gaze to the beautiful emerald eyes she fell in love with. Ever since their meeting at the harbor with the sisters she knew that he knew something was up with her. He gave her space to think it through herself while being next to her supporting her.

"You and I both know you don't need to offer a massage to know my thoughts."

"Yeah, but I know you like them so I like giving them to you."

The blonde walked behind the woman and began rubbing her shoulders which rewarded him with the sweet sound of her moaning. He loved hearing her and would've loved taking her to their bed but right now she needs comfort.

"You were thinking about your father weren't you?"

Lilian remained quiet until she whispered. "I know you didn't mean it but I still can't forget that night."

Ahimoth hugged her and kissed the side of her head and looked into the fire.

"None of us can forget the night that started it all."

* * *

Up in the North Mountain, the bandits were amassing their gear as they slowly began to descend the mountain just staying out of sight of the patrols. Back at the hideout, the leader of the bandits was looking over a rough sketch of a layout of what seemed to be the castle in Arendelle.

"We're finally ready, it was a great idea on your part to have my men infiltrate the castle using those uniforms we acquired from those guards. If everything goes well, then we'll be able to overrun the castle and settle your score against the Snow Queen and her sister. Then Arendelle will be ripe for the taking."

Across from him sat none other than Prince Hans of the Southern Isle. He was wearing a grey winter coat that looked strikingly similar to the one he wore when he was last in Arendelle. He looked exactly the same down to the smug envious green eyes.

"Just remember to beware the Snow Queen, she is very powerful yet also very weak. She fears hurting people with her power unless she's provoked, stick with the plan and we won't have to worry about her."

The bandit leader nodded as he went over the last details of the plan while Hans looked out of the cave toward the village at the bottom of the mountain.

_Soon Arendelle will be all mine._

**Hope you all enjoyed the chapter please drop a review. **


	9. Chapter 9

Kristoff couldn't help but replay the conversation he had with his ice harvesting companion on their way down the mountain as he counted the money in his hidden box. He was brutally honest when he admitted that he wronged the prince and that the only thing stopping him from doing the same to them was convenient. Part of him felt he should tell Elsa because he might've been a threat to Arendelle but he was hesitant. During his stay in Arendelle, he hadn't caused trouble in any sense at all, he worked hard and slept that was all he did. Plus the ice harvester knew Edward peaked in on his stash, the first time he was miffed about it but when the young man just closed the case without taking anything he decided to let it go.

Edward seemed to really want money to leave but he wasn't desperate enough to steal from someone who earned it. That made Kristoff trust the man. Now finding out he betrayed someone and hurt them to the point they'd try to kill him was really surprising. That shook his confidence in his friend a bit but then the ice harvester thought who he betrayed. Prince Ahimoth of Blackdust, a kingdom shrouded in secrecy and rumors that painted their soldiers as monsters.

He didn't know the whole story, perhaps they were friends but something happened that forced Edward to betray his best friend. Maybe the Prince deserved it and Edward just felt guilty for almost getting his friend killed. The bottom line was: He. Doesn't. Know.

The real issue that concerned him was if he should tell anyone. The only person who Edward really wanted to avoid hearing about him was the Prince, not Elsa or Anna. He explained that he didn't want them to hide anything from their guests and jeopardize an alliance all because of someone they met a month ago. Kristoff instantly thought about telling Anna but shot it down, he loved her, he really did, but she talked _so much._ All it would take to get them in trouble was one sentence and she spouted thirty in a minute.

That left Elsa, the two of them had a rocky start with her not being comfortable around someone she didn't know and him not knowing how to act around royalty. However, thanks to the insistence of a certain redhead the two of them actually got close. Elsa was calm and very intellectual he could bring this to her and she'd take it to her grave. The one downside was how he planned on telling her.

_Hey Elsa did you know that Ed knows Ahimoth, apparently, they were best friends. So as it turns out, Ed betrayed the guy and almost got him killed, now he's saying Ahimoth will kill him if he sees him again. _

He could see Elsa having a few different reactions. One of them would be to demand an explanation from Edward which could end up an emotional nightmare. Another one was she'd confront the Prince about it, which could lead to a political nightmare. His favorite one was that she'd blame him for bringing a stranger into Arendelle and turn him into an ice sculpture.

That last one made him chuckle a bit as he finished counting the coins and resolved he made enough to commission his ring. All he had to do was go to the blacksmith and order it. The very same blacksmith that Edward was currently working at this very moment. He placed all the money in the box and headed out the stables towards the blacksmith. Kristoff did say he would think about keeping Edward's presence a secret from the Prince but he would not put Anna or Elsa in any danger.

_He needs to tell them himself and let them decide._

Unknownest to him, there was a pair of green eyes tracking his movements down the street.

* * *

Elsa was as always sifting through reports in her study, this time, in particular, was about the bandit reports she's received the last three weeks. The day she sent her guards up the mountain they returned later that night reporting that they couldn't find anything. She had sent small scouting parties to the North Mountain but so far nothing had turned up.

With no results, Captain Stonewell had asked if he himself could go up the mountain with a team to attempt to find something. Elsa was reluctant to grant him permission given his age but with the way things were going, she began to feel she had little choice. Snapping the report in her hands in frustration she turned her thoughts toward the dinner they were having together in an hour.

It would be herself, Anna, Kristoff, Ahimoth and his fiancee Lilian tonight. In the back of her mind she wanted to invite Edward to attend however for the last three weeks he's said he's been busy. On the outside, she had accepted his reasoning with the grace of a Queen but on the inside, she was greatly saddened at the loss of his company. She would've liked to see if he and Ahimoth knew each other if they did then the young man could give her a general idea on the prince.

A knock on her door brought her out of her thoughts and she straightened her posture before beckoning them in. A guard walked in and bowed his head until she gave him permission to rise before he began to speak.

"Your Majesty, Captain Stonewell has asked for your presence in his office regarding the matter concerning the bandits." Elsa sighed.

_He's probably going to ask if I decided to agree to his request._

She thought about telling the guard to tell the captain that she had other matters to attend to, namely the dinner. However she had a full hour, that was plenty of time to run down, give him an answer, and get to dinner before it started. Rising out of her chair the woman approached the guard and walked through the door he held open for her.

"Alright I will go see him now, thank you for relaying his request."

As she turned to walk down the hallway she heard a shuffle of feet and found the guard joined with another with their heads bowed. "Please allow us to escort you there, your Majesty."

Elsa turned to the two men in confusion, the captain's office was barely a five-minute walk from the castle with the whole way patrolled by guards. Security had been an ever-present concern in her mind, especially with the rekindled relationship she had with her sister. Elsa also had ice magic on top of all the security so if even if someone was able to get in and attack her, she could freeze them with a flick of her wrist.

She didn't feel the need for an escort but her guards have always insisted she have one due to her being royalty. She nodded her head and the two men straightened their postures then began to follow her.

* * *

Edward was hammering out a blade in the blacksmith's forge when he heard the door open behind him. Stopping for a moment, he turned to see Kristoff staring at him with a determined look in his eye. In his hands was the small box he kept his fortune in, judging by the fact he had it on his person he was probably about to buy the ring. Something like that should've put a stupid grin on his face but the one he wore was far from happy.

"Is there something I can help you with?"

_Bet he's gonna say Elsa and Anna need to know._

"Anna and Elsa need to know."

A burst of hysterical laughter broke out in the young man's mind as he dropped the hammer and put the hot blade back in the fire before sitting on a bench facing the blonde. He crossed his arms and also had a less than amused expression on his face. He honestly expected the mountain man to tell Anna as soon as he got back, his opinion of the man improved even more for talking to him first before telling the woman. However, his insistence on the matter was more than annoying.

"Ever heard the expression 'what they don't know can't hurt them?' I know that turns out to be wrong most of the time but this isn't one of those times."

"Why are you so afraid of telling them, whatever happened in the past is in the past."

_What could he possibly know?_

"Kristoff, no good can come with them worrying about me and a Prince they barely just met. It's better that I just disappear, there's no need for all of you to get attached to me, that's why I stopped coming to those dinners of yours." Whatever, retort the blonde man got caught in his throat when he heard his friends' words. When he thought back it all made sense, Ed got two jobs that worked long into the night two days after that dinner. He acted normal when he met up with the foreigner to go up the mountain but deep down he knew that something was up.

He was avoiding them as much as he possibly could before he left.

The hurt expression on his face must've been obvious because the man in front of him started to look a little uncomfortable before turning towards the fire. For a moment neither said anything, only the crackling of the fire filled the room with sound.

"When you left...were you at least going to say goodbye?"

Edward considered the question the first time they went up to the mountain together. Back then his immediate answer was to leave them without a word, but after spending day after day with the blond man he began to grow fond of him. The guy was wise in his own way, with a good sense of loyalty and kindness that made being with him nice. His sense of humor was crude yet very funny if one learned how to unwind.

He chuckled a bit at the memory of Kristoff telling him the first time he met Anna, the foot size crack flew right over her head. To this day, he can't stop himself from laughing when he remembered her response.

Edward hadn't felt anything like this since he was with Ahimoth way back when. Now when he considered the question of would he leave without saying anything, his heart began to hurt. Logically, his leaving without a word was the best option as it mitigated the risk of him wanting to stay. Emotionally, he honestly didn't want to leave. He actually liked Arendelle, the people were nice, the prices were fair and it was peaceful.

There was also the fact that Elsa was in Arendelle.

After he left the castle on his first dinner with all of them, he hastily made his way to his room and locked the door. The second he heard the bolt latch, he dropped to his knees and a cold sweat enveloped him. He had trouble breathing and his vision became blurry as he put his hand on the nightstand and squeezed. The wood was instantly crushed under his fingers as he looked for something else to support him.

Physically speaking he knew nothing was wrong with him, his body was in perfect health and with the small effort he put into his hand he was able to crush the side of the nightstand. His mental state, on the other hand, was compromised, ever since he touched her his body reacted so violently that he could barely stand up straight.

The only reason he was able to maintain his posture was the beautiful crystal blue eyes that had captured his body and mind completely. He honestly enjoyed speaking to her, they spoke about Shakespeare well into the night, comparing favorites and talking about ones they disliked. After doing so, she started talking about herself. She talked about how she at first loved playing with her magic before the accident happened and how much it hurt to shut her sister out. She talked about her parents teaching her the mantra 'Conceal don't feel, don't let it show.' and how she thought it helped when in reality it just bottled up her powers. She also confessed that she thought gloves helped stop her magic but when she was imprisoned, she still managed to freeze the manacles binding her.

Edward chose not to say anything regarding her abilities because right then didn't feel like the right time.

As he listened to her talk he couldn't help but see how much alike they were and he felt that he found someone who could understand him. He wanted to be near her more, much more than he should.

_Is this what Ahimoth felt that night?_

But regardless of how he felt, he knew living here posed a threat to both himself and everyone he knew here. He had to leave, no matter how much he wanted to stay he was going to leave as soon as he could. They had done more than he could repay, so he guessed he could at least grant them a goodbye. Edward looked back to Kristoff with a somber expression.

"When I leave, I'll tell you all goodbye."

The mountain man couldn't help the sad smile that appeared on his face.

"Well, that was a heartwarming conversation."

The two men whirled around to see a man leaning against the door with a cruel smirk on his face. Kristoff dropped the box in his hands and was oblivious to the sound of all the coins spilling onto the floor.

"Hans!"

* * *

Elsa walked out to the courtyard with her two guards flanking her. The moon began to rise in the sky and bathe her castle in its glow. As she walked, she thought back to her earlier conversation with her guests. Ahimoth offhandedly mentioned almost being killed by not one but two Elementals yet he reacted in excitement when meeting her. What was so special about her compared to other Elementals?

The woman Lilian seemed to want to avoid that topic given she changed the subject so quickly. At first, Elsa thought that the woman had negative emotions about Elementals but it didn't seem that way when she apologized for the Prince's behavior. It wasn't until Ahimoth mentioned his near-death experiences did her expression change. It was quick if she blinked she would've missed it but in the woman's eyes were the look of pain. Such pain that she looked like she was struck as soon as the words left his lips, the large man took noticed and supported her.

So if Lilian had no grudge against Elementals, why did her eyes darken and she couldn't meet any of their gazes?

The questions churned around in her head as she stopped and looked up at the moon to enjoy the image of her castle in front of it. The ice that decorated her castle glowed evenly in the moonlight and was a beautiful image. The only thing that offsets it was a slight shine on one of the roofs of her castle, it would shine in and out every so often that Elsa was almost hypnotized by it. She barely heard it and if she wasn't facing in the direction she wouldn't have any warning.

A wall of ice hastily rose in front of her flinched form as a bolt was sticking out the other side of her shield.

When Elsa looked up to see the deadly weapon, she remembered when she was attacked in her ice palace. She managed to catch the bolt back then too but this one was _much _closer than the last one. Before she could say anything, the sounds of swords being drawn brought her attention to her guards who weren't facing the direction the bolt came from.

They were facing her with a murderous tint in their eyes.

The woman took a step back and let out a shriek when the guard on the left charged with an overhead swing. Calling upon her ice powers while trying to take a breath to calm herself down, Elsa shot a bolt of ice at his feet to immobilize him. She let out a sigh in relief when he fell forward with one foot encased in ice.

Her small victory was dashed when the other guard for her as well. She attempted to use the same tactic but was dismayed when he dodged to the side. Ice spikes began to cover the courtyard as Elsa fired bolt after bolt at the man who kept rolling to avoid her attacks. The sound of ice shattering directly behind her, made her turn around to see the first guard had broken his bonds and rushed her again.

The blonde slashed her arm in front of her horizontally and a wall of ice blocked him off from her. This gave her time to face the second guard who was less than five meters away from her swinging his sword from his waist. Thinking quickly, Elsa made a shield of ice on her right side that caught the blade midswing. The man recoiling in shock gave her the chance to freeze his wrist to the shield.

The guard picked up the sword from his useless hand and began hitting the ice on his wrist with the hilt to escape. Elsa quickly froze him from his elbow down to his feet, completely immobilized him. The woman turned to locate the first guard just now getting around her wall of ice and running toward her. With focus, she shot a bolt towards the ground and watched him roll out the way. Unfortunately for him, the bolt wasn't meant to trap him. It was meant to freeze the ground and make it slippery which had him sliding until he hit the ice wall she created. Before he could get to his feet, ice-encased his entire body leaving only his shoulders and head free of ice.

Seeing her attackers restrained Elsa couldn't help dropping her arms as the adrenaline she felt began to leave her body. Ever since she was attacked in her palace and almost killed those two men from Weselton, she swore to herself she wouldn't use her magic to injure another person, whether they be attacker or not. Instead, she would focus on trapping them so they couldn't harm her or anyone else.

This was the first time since then that she used her ice powers for combat and she couldn't help but feel a little proud of her abilities.

"Very impressive…" Elsa whirled around to see a man dressed in black walking up to her while slowly clapping. His clothing consisted of a thick black hide she couldn't make out but could see it was adorned with buckles and pouches. It covered him from the base of his neck to his shins, the black hide formed coat tails that covered his legs that had black boots sticking out from the bottom. His sleeves when down his arms and into two metal gauntlets that left the fingers exposed while covering his forearms. There was a shaft of wood reinforced with metal sticking out from his back, on it was a trigger of some sort.

On his face was a mask of what seemed to have been modeled after a black wolf. The 'snout' was open as if it was about to bite down on its prey, the wolf's expression was one of anger, and the most chilling feature was the eyes. The wolf's eyes had slits in them so the man could see clearly and from what Elsa could see her heart stopped.

Blood red eyes peered at her as if she was staring down a demon ready to devour her.

"Your magic responds very quickly to your commands, that quite rare. Most Elementals would've had a bolt sticking out their abdomen but you managed to catch it, that's something to remember."

Elsa quickly put her hands in front of her and faced the man with a stern expression as her fingers began to glow. She expected him to put up his guard at the display but all he did was circle her slowly as he surveyed the scene around them.

"I was under the impression this is only your second time being attacked. I expected that bolt to drop you but in the event that it failed these two were supposed to render you unconscious. However they seemed to have gotten overzealous and attempted to kill you, good help is hard to find these days." The man walked towards the first guard and without batting an eye, reached up and snapped his neck. Elsa couldn't fight the shriek that escaped her as she watched in horror as the man plucked the sword that was on the ground and threw it with enough force to pierce the remaining guard's head.

Once the two men were dead, the man finally felt the need to face the young woman who in her eyes had nothing but fear for the monster that killed his own men. "Now that that's taken care of, Queen Elsa I would ask that you surrender to me so I can deliver you to my master."

The woman took a step back as she kept her hands in front of her to give herself distance from the man but he had other plans as he began to walk toward her. "Stay away!" She shot a bolt of ice at his feet and watched him simply skip over it like a puddle as if he continued to step toward her with his gaze never leaving hers.

"There's no need to fear me, I've only been told to bring you with me. No harm will come to you as long as you surrender." He kept stepping forward as Elsa started fire bolt after bolt toward him. Every time one would get close to him, the man barely moved his body out of the way with no effort on his part. It was like he barely considered her a threat and honestly, her fear began to be replaced by anger as she put more effort into her attacks. The man responded with an equal amount of effort as his movements began to get faster to dodge her attacks. Getting frustrated that he kept advancing, Elsa conjured a strip of ice in front of her that produced spikes to keep him at bay. It was then the man finally stopped and looked at the spikes for a moment before turning his gaze towards her.

"Is it my mask, if it scared you so much why didn't you just ask I remove it?" The man removed his mask to reveal an older man with tan skin and greying short messy brown hair. He hooked the mask to one of the buckles before extending his arms with a smile that chilled the woman's bones.

"Is that better, will you surrender now?" Elsa's answer was four columns of translucent ice encasing the man where he stood. The man looked at his prison before scoffing and turning his gaze toward the woman who took a breath to calm herself before holding her head up and walking up to him.

"I will do no such thing, you have committed treason attacking the Queen of Arendelle and you will be punished. I demand you tell me who you are and why you attacked me." He was taller than her perhaps a bit taller than Edward but he was leaner compared to the man. He looked down at her before chuckling a bit and bowed in a way that was insulting to the young woman.

"Forgive my manners, my name is Záviš. As to why I am here, I'm to deliver you to my master as I've said before." The blatant disregard for his actions and her position angered the young woman but she retained her regal poise.

"Well Záviš, you will not be taking me anywhere. You will be imprisoned and then put on trial for treason, I suggest you take the time to reflect on your actions." Elsa began to walk away but stopped when she heard him beginning to laugh.

"You know, I've heard of your intelligence was second to none but seeing you now, I can't believe how dense you are. You've been shooting ice magic all around this courtyard for a while and not _one _member of your royal guard has shown up." The blonde eyes widened as she realized he was right, the courtyard was completely encased in ice, surely one of her guards would've noticed. She turned around and couldn't help but jump back in shock that she slipped on her own ice and fell on her bottom. Standing almost two feet from her was Záviš, his hands were behind his back with a smile on his face.

Elsa couldn't help but look at the ice prison he was just in, the columns were fifteen feet high, there was no way he climbed out so quickly, especially without making a sound. Before she could raise her hands to attack him, Záviš pulled out a wicked looking crossbow from his back and aimed it at her face. Elsa's mind raced as she looked into his eyes that lost its playfulness and had frustration burning in them.

_He said his master wanted me and he killed those two men for trying to kill me meaning he needs me alive. So he won't shoot me point blank like this, maybe if I can trap just his hand on the trigger, I can get him when he panics. It's my best chance!_

Before Elsa could even begin to enact her plan, Záviš spoke with a deadpan tone.

"My men are impersonating some of your guards, _that's _why none of them are here right now. If I could get men to keep everyone from seeing the courtyard, what's stopping me from having men stand by your sister?" The woman froze as she realized the gravity of his words, all thoughts of escaping evaporated as she thought of one of the guards attacking and killing her sister. Her expression must've conveyed her thoughts, Záviš moved the crossbow from her face and placed it on his back.

"I'm not moving from this spot, now is your best chance to incapacitate me with your ice." Elsa looked up into the man's red eyes and couldn't form any thoughts, she was like a deer with a broken leg looking up at a ravenous wolf. She then remembered her sister and forced her mouth to work.

"Please, don't hurt her. I'll go with you, just please don't hurt her…"

Záviš nodded before taking a step back and allowed the woman to get to her feet. When she did, the man gestured around the courtyard at her ice and signaled her to thaw all of it. With shaky fingers, she found it hard to control her magic with the fear in her heart but she remembered Anna and was barely able to do it. The courtyard was as it was before except for the two bodies on the ground. Záviš walked up to them and without a word he produced two matches from his pockets then threw them on the corpses.

Elsa couldn't help the gasp that escaped her lips as the man gestured towards the gates. She was hesitant to follow him but his red eyes showed frustration at her slow pace and he looked back up at the castle, _towards Anna's room._ The woman quickly picked up the pace and the two were walking past two guards who nodded at her kidnapper before closing the gates behind them. After they got past the bridge, Záviš started to walk slower and less urgently as a guard post began to come up on to their side.

He turned to her slightly and motioned for her to walk ahead. Elsa walked in front of the man and soon a guard was bowing to her with a confused expression on his face. "Your Majesty, I beg your pardon but why are you out so late with no escort?"

The woman realized that this guard was genuine and her first instinct was to tell him about the man behind her. When she turned around, however, Záviš was gone.

The distinct sound of something snapping made her whirl around to see the guard slump in her kidnapper's arms. Tears began to flow down her cheeks as she watched the man toss the guard over the railing and into the fjord, the weight of his weapons making him sink beneath the surface. When she looked up at the cold red eyes who didn't bat an eye over what he just did, she snapped. Forgetting her powers, Elsa attempted to slap Záviš as hard as she possibly could but her small hand was grasped tightly by his.

"Do not make this any more difficult than it has to be."

The woman in her fury tried to slap him with her other hand only to have it caught by the same hand that held her other one. The man lifted his arm up with her wrists in his grasp which made her feet dangle as she was lifted off the ground. Elsa began to kick her feet but it didn't even phase the monster of a man. Forgetting her royal bearing, the Queen was about to attempt to scream when Záviš quickly stuffed a rag in her mouth with his free hand. Before she could attempt to push it out with her tongue, the man whipped out two shackles with engravings on them and locked her hands.

He then let go of her and watched her scramble back from him while uselessly pulling at her bounds forgetting about the cloth in her mouth. When she eventually realized they weren't going to break Elsa, flung her hands out at the man expecting a bolt of ice to shoot out at the man.

Only nothing happened, except Záviš narrowing his eyes down at her.

Flustered that nothing happened, she tried again and again while the man took out another cloth while approaching her. Realizing nothing was happening, Elsa turned around and was about to run when a hand grabbed her by the back of her neck. Wrenching her backward, Záviš tied the second cloth around the one already in her mouth silencing her completely. He turned her around so she could face him and he leaned into her personal space so that he could speak while also intimidating her.

"I would've rather you walk like an adult but I guess I can carry you like a child. You may be wondering why your magic isn't working right now, you're beyond scared so there should be ice build up all around you but look around, no ice. Those shackles were made to restrain Elementals, you won't be breaking out of them. Now regarding your little stunt, while you may have acted aggressively, you _did _surrender to me, so no harm will come to your sister." Elsa couldn't stop her breathing from speeding up but hearing him say he wouldn't harm Anna did calm her down a bit, only for him to crush her relief.

"When she's brought to my master not one hair on her head will be harmed, unless he decides otherwise."

That made Elsa's eyes widen as she began to thrash and scream in her bounds attempting to get away from Záviš then run to her sister. The man was less than amused as he swiftly chopped the side of her neck and watched her eyes roll into the back of her head. He thought he could hear her whisper her sister's name through her gag but shook his head as he slung her over his shoulder and ran into the night.

* * *

Edward and Kristoff stared in shock as the red-headed man pushed himself off the wall and began to circle the two of them. "Your name is Kristoff, right? You must forgive me, we've never been formally introduced and I can't help not remembering every peasant's name."

The mountain man looked ready to charge the man and beat him into an inch of his life but a firm hand on his shoulder stopped him. The blonde looked back at his friend who motioned toward the door where two men with hands on their swords were waiting. Realizing now wasn't the time for rash action, Kristoff took a few breaths to calm down before facing the Prince.

"Well if it makes you feel better, I don't know all the names of snakes and worms, but Anna was very animated when she talked about you so I remembered yours." Hans' face darkened in anger for a moment before a smile slid on his face when he realized he had the advantage.

"Speaking of Anna, how is my fiancee, she doesn't really write so I've had to spy on her to know what she's been up to." Kristoff's face turned beet red as he tried to charge the man again only for an even firmer hand on his shoulder held him back as well as the sound of swords leaving their sheaths.

"Don't you ever call her that, she broke any engagement she had with you when she punched you off that ship!" Hans laughed at the man's expression as he shifted his attention to the other man in the room. The weeks he's spent with bandits on the North Mountain, he ordered them to bring reports on the royal sisters and the ice harvester. As they came in, one report included this man before him, apparently, he helped fend off the ambush Hans ordered on the mountain man. When he asked for intelligence on the stranger, he got nothing. The man worked all day and night and slept afterward, the few times he went out he avoided causing any trouble. When he heard of the time a man spat on his face and he did nothing about it, he instantly called off any attempts to find out more about the man.

He thought he'd be a threat but if he wasn't man enough to fight when someone spat on him then Han's felt he was a coward.

"I don't believe we met, I am Hans of the Southern Isles, what is your name?" The man kept a neutral expression on his face when he answered.

"Edward."

"So Edward, I know this may not seem sincere but you have my deepest apologies as you are about to join my good friend Kristoff here in death. I told them to make it painless but they're bandits, I can't really expect that much from them." As he said that, the two bandits by the door began to advance on them, forcing them to start backing up toward the fire. Kristoff seemed to be ready and raring for a fight but Edward kept a hand on him as he addressed the red-headed man.

"Are you sure you want to do this? Once Queen Elsa finds out you've killed her sister's boyfriend, there won't be many places to hide from her wrath." Hans laughed as he sat back to address Edward.

"I'm not too worried about that monster, because after tonight she'll be out of the way and Arendelle will be mine."

"She has ice magic, I doubt anything you could throw at her would be able to stand up to her abilities."

"I don't need to throw anything at her, she's clouded by emotion. I could force her into surrender if I threatened someone she loves."

"Someone like Anna you mean?" Kristoff fought especially hard to get out of Edward's grip at the mention of her name and her being in danger. He turned to his friend about to shout he let go but his protest died in his throat as the brown-haired man whispered quietly enough that Hans didn't hear.

"Trust me."

Those two words gave the ice harvester enough pause to think about his position, he was surrounded by three men who all had weapons while the only weapons they had access to were across the room. He wagered he could take out Hans and one of the bandits with his bare hands, with Ed backing him up he was confident in their chances. Yet Ed didn't make a move, he was having a conversation with the bastard of Prince. Hans didn't see him as a threat and was confident he had the upper hand so he spoke freely and indulged in the conversation. Kristoff had no idea what his friend was planning but the sincere look in his eyes had him nodding and trying to calm himself.

"Well aren't you smart, yes if I just threaten one hair on her head, Elsa just crumbles."

"Not like you can get to her, they're being visited by foreign dignitaries and I'm sure the Queen would've beefed up security."

"You're right, she did, exactly as I planned her to. With no reports from her scouting parties about bandits in the North Mountain, she felt she could send more men out to find them while bringing Arendelle's guards to stand in her castle. That left the village with a skeleton crew of guards, and with all those scouting parties coming and going I doubt she noticed what her guards looked like."

Edward's eyes widened as he finally understood Hans' plan, he used the scouting the parties to take their uniforms and entered the castle. He probably planned on taking Anna hostage and forcing Elsa to surrender, with them both out of the way the bandits would able to ransack Arendelle with all the guards out looking for them. Edward didn't need to know anything else, he and Kristoff needed to leave to get to the castle and warn Elsa. One of them also needed to get to the Captain Stonewell and apprise him of the situation so he could call back the guards.

"Well that's enough talking, I have a busy schedule to keep and I'm afraid I'll have to cut you two out." Hans gestured for the bandits to advance towards the two men.

"Try to make it painless, I'm afraid I don't have the fortitude to witness the carnage I know you two are capable."

The two men charged with bloodlust in their eyes ready to tear Edward and Kristoff limb from limb. The mountain man prepared himself for a fight and was about to charge when the grip on his shoulder tightened. Turning back to Ed in panic, his eyes widened when his friend had a hand on a chain that connected with the ceiling. The brown-haired man pulled the chain and water poured from the ceiling dousing the burning coals with water and flooding the forge with steam. There was so much steam Kristoff couldn't see three feet in front of him, before he could call out to Ed, the hand on his shoulder pulled him into the steam.

The whole time they were talking, Edward had been maneuvering the two of them toward the water chain so that he could make his move. Working here for the last three weeks gave Edward enough knowledge to remember where everything in the forge was even if he was blindfolded. The hand he kept on Kristoff was so he could keep the ice harvester from getting lost in the steam.

Now that they were, Edward made his way towards the door on the far side shouldered it open. He threw Kristoff through before reaching on the wall for the thickest sword he could find then closing the door behind them. He then stabbed the sword into the wooden door, effectively locking the three men inside. Before long the two men began to hear bangs against the door, the sword held strong but Edward knew that sooner or later it wouldn't.

"Kristoff listen, you need to get to the castle and warn Elsa. We don't know which guards are bandits and which aren't so you need to use whatever secret passage Anna showed you to get in without them knowing."

"What about you?"

"Someone's gotta tell Captain Stonewell."

Before Kristoff could argue, Edward was already running down the main road toward the castle. Hans said they didn't consider him a threat so maybe he'd be able to sneak past better than Kristoff could. The other reason he told the ice harvester to go and warn Elsa and Anna was the fact that he knew Ahimoth was in the castle. He had memorized the date the Prince was supposed to arrive and planned accordingly.

Edward honestly dreaded the day his friend came but after what he just learned he couldn't be more relieved to know he was here. If Anna and Elsa were with him then they were safe, no bandit could beat Ahimoth, _especially if he's pissed_. If Kristoff got to either sister, the castle would be on high alert which would make kidnapping them that much harder. All that was left was alerting the captain, he knew what was happening, he would be able to tell what guard was real and who was a bandit. He'd also be able to recall all the scouting parties to effectively trap the bandits here.

He just needed to get to the barracks, that was all that mattered.

He turned the corner and couldn't help but yelp when a carriage carrying a sled raced past him. He couldn't help but look at the back of the sled and noticed something shine against the wood. He squinted a bit and could make out it was a blue fabric of some kind that sparkled when the moonlight hit. The way it sparkled was familiar to him in some way. When the sled hit a bump on the road and more of the fabric seeped out of the sled, Edward's eyes widened as he took off after the sled. There was only one thing he's seen that was blue, sparkled when light hits it and was thin enough to be mistaken for fabric.

_Elsa's ice cape._

**Hey guys new update, I'm feeling mildly inspired because I got an email that someone reviewed a chapter, it didn't show up yet of this site but I'm hoping it will :D PLEASE drop some more reviews.**


	10. Chapter 10

Kristoff ran as fast as he could to the harbor toward a secret passage Anna told him about during one of their dates. It was a tunnel that went from a cave under one of the guard towers that lined a wall around Arendelle. The tunnel led all the way under the wall into the castle's cellar. From there, he just needed to ascend the stairway leading out of the basement and he could get to Anna's room in no time.

As he ran his thoughts did turn to Sven but he reassured himself that no one would target a reindeer who was in the stables. This was one of the only times the ice harvester was glad Elsa insisted that his friend be left out of dinner since they'd be having royal guests. Speaking of the dinner, Kristoff knew it would start soon, meaning Anna and Elsa should be in the dining room already. If some of the guards were bandits then they might try kidnapping the two sisters while they were together.

Whenever they ate dinner together, there were usually no guards in the room seeing as it would make them feel uncomfortable having people stare at them. Hopefully if the bandits entered the dining hall one of the sisters would be able to notice something was up. He could only hope he could get there in time, when Kristoff got to the mouth of the cave, his pace doubled as he prayed he'd get there in time.

* * *

Anna was in the kitchen looking in wonder of all the delicacies the chefs were making for the dinner. As she scanned over some of them, her eyes were instantly drawn to a plate of rather delicious-looking truffles.

_Hello…_

Glancing at the staff who seemed far too busy bustling around to notice her, the redhead snuck up to the plate and was about to grab one when a tap on her leg stopped her. There was only one thing with a light yet somewhat prickly feel to it that could only reach that high on her leg. She turned around and knelt down to the snowman's height who seemed to have an odd expression on his face.

"Hi, Olaf, what's wrong?"

The snowman looked thoughtful for a moment as if trying to organize his thoughts and speak them out clearly. After a moment he looked back at the woman with a worried expression.

"I don't know, I feel very weird. It's becoming hard to move around and my flurry disappeared a while ago."

That got Anna's attention as she hadn't noticed the little cloud over the snowman's head was gone. Thankfully it was getting cold enough outside that the snowman wasn't running the risk of melting immediately. That still didn't explain why his flurry disappeared, maybe Elsa was sick again; Olaf's flurry during her birthday was really weak when she was.

"Maybe we should check on Elsa, and see why your flurry is gone."

"I tried to find her but she's gone, I thought maybe she went outside to join the fire in the courtyard but there's no one out there."

_Fire in the courtyard, that's odd. _

Anna got to her full height and motioned the snowman to follow her as she hiked up her dress and began to jog down the hallway toward the courtyard. As she ran, she noticed some of the guards looking in her direction with odd looks. Most of the castle guards were used to her zipping down the hallways and only spared one look before resuming their duties. These guards watched her like a hawk and made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end as she took each step away from them.

She finally made it to doors that opened up to the courtyard, there were two guards in front of the door blocking entry. The one on the left stepped forward and stiffly bowed before speaking.

"Your Majesty is there anything we can assist you with, we were informed you were to attend the dining hall at this hour."

That same feeling she got from the other guards returned when she looked at these two men. She felt something was wrong when these men looked at her, she couldn't tell why but knew it was _something. _When she was taught how to use a sword by Captain Stonewell, he would always tell her to trust her instincts. Even if they were dead wrong, having the sense that something was amiss had saved his life many times and it would only take one time ignoring your instincts that could end your life.

She hoped that her face didn't give anything as she chuckled nervously before speaking. "No, I'm fine, I just wanted to get some fresh air and walk around the castle before dinner. You know, work me up an appetite."

The guard shared a look with the other one before turning to the woman with the same unreadable expression. "In that case, we will accompany you." Anna fought to keep the look of surprise off her face as she tried to wave them off.

"Oh please, it's no trouble I'll just be out in the courtyard for a moment and be right back. I don't want to pull you away from your duties." The guard took a step forward and looked down at her which made the redhead want to take a step back but did not to keep them from knowing what she was thinking. Now she knew something was off with these two.

"It's no trouble at all and a Princess should not be out on her own without an escort." While the first guard towered over her, Anna could see out of the corner of her eye, the other guard pulling something out of his pocket. She didn't take her eyes off the man in front of her but from what she could distinguish at a side glance the object covered his hand as he held it at his side. It seemed somewhat like a cloth of some sort, whatever it was, the guard hid it behind his back as he kept his eyes firmly on her.

_Well if that isn't ominous then I don't like chocolate. _

The sound of panting made all three of them look down the hall to see Olaf running toward them. When he got to them, he went to his 'knees' and continued to pant. "You're...so...fast Anna…" The redhead couldn't be happier to see the snowman, she rushed to him and picked him up while pretending to fuss over him. "I'm sorry Olaf I didn't mean to leave you behind…" As Anna straightened the snowman, the guard closest to her began to advance as her back was turned.

Their orders had been to capture the princess since Záviš had already captured the Queen. His plan was for them to grab her at the dinner along with the foreign dignitaries so they could ransom them off and get some extra money. However now that she had come on her own, now was a good a time as any to grab her and bring her back to their hideout. If they could capture her sister who had ice powers without a fuss then a little girl would be no problem.

What the bandit didn't plan for was that Anna was a lot more aggressive than Elsa and she had been getting lessons in self-defense to cure her boredom.

Before he could pounce on her, the redhead had turned around holding something in her hands and smashed him across the face with it. All at once his vision was cut to white as he immediately brought his hands to his face to restore his sight. His hands grabbed whatever was on his head to find it firm yet soft and no matter how hard he pulled it wouldn't get off his head.

"Olaf don't let him knock you off alright!" When Anna reached down to pick up the snowman she whispered hastily that the men behind her were bad and that she needed his help. When the little guy agreed she swung him with all of the force she could muster in that quick instant. With the first guard blinded, the other rushed at her with the cloth at the ready. The redhead quickly dove for the first guard's sword and managed to pull it from its sheath before turning it to her aggressor.

That halted the man in his tracks as he stared down the blade with an unreadable expression. at first, the princess thought he might back off however when he widely smiled and pulled out his own sword she quickly shot that thought down. "Do you really think this is wise poppet, swords aren't toys for little girls."

Anna was more than a little miffed with that little comment and got into her stance as she squared herself to face her opponent. Seeing this, the guard chuckled before getting into his own stance and thought he'd give her a scare by throwing a slash her way. He was greeted with more than he expected when the redhead exploded into action, she easily swiped away the slow swing and shoulder bashed him with a roar. The bandit took a step back but remained on his feet due to the fact he was larger than her and the force of her bash wasn't too significant.

The redhead swung her sword overhead seeming planning to cleave his head in two but was stopped by him raising his sword to meet hers. Before the bandit could push away her sword, Anna dropped down to a kneeling stance and with the hilt of her sword she hit the back of his knee causing him to drop onto one knee. Surprised at her moves, the bandit didn't notice the hilt that was flying toward his face before he felt a blinding pain explode in his nose. The man instantly dropped his sword before grasping his nose and began screaming in pain as blood began to drip from it.

Normally Anna would've been sick to her stomach at seeing blood but with the exhilaration of knowing she just fought off someone with a sword, she couldn't help but smile.

"Anna! Look out behind you!"

The redhead turned as fast as she could to face the threat behind her only to be tackled by a large body mass. Somehow she didn't lose her grip on the sword but a large hand pinned both her wrists to the ground while another was around her throat. With her airway beginning to be crushed she could only wheeze as she looked up to the first guard whose face screamed anger.

_I guess he didn't appreciate me throwing a snowman at him…_

"You know when the boss gave us our instructions for this job he told us not to kill neither you or your sister. This could've been a whole lot easier if you just came with us but no, you had to try and be a brave little girl. Now I and my buddy over there are gonna have some fun with you before giving you to our boss. That prince said you were courting some ice cutter, for your sake I hope he got you to open your legs for him first."

Anna's face blanched if it was possible with the lack of air in her lungs. She knew what the man was referring to thanks to her mother and father giving her "the talk" before they left. Kristoff being the gentleman he was never pushed the subject and said he was more than willing to wait for their wedding night. While she appreciated that he respected her that much there were times she wished he would've loosened up with that notion whenever she was..._excited._

_Not like now!_

The redhead tried to turn and squirm out of his grip but the bandit held fast and pressed harder on her throat causing black dots to dance in her vision. She tried looking for Olaf for some help but the guard had thrown the little guy down the hall in pieces so he wouldn't be able to put himself back together to help quick enough. Her efforts to struggle began to diminish as more black dots appeared, she almost missed a new voice that originated right behind the guard.

"Well, that's not a way to treat a princess…"

Instantly the pressure on her neck disappeared as the guard's body was sent flying away from the redhead who instantly released the sword and clutched her throat. She hacked and coughed, trying to get air back into her lungs as she looked up at her savior. Prince Ahimoth had changed out of the suit he was earlier, he was now in a white long-sleeved collared shirt and some black dress pants with nice shoes. The shirt exposed his extremely large physique as it looked ready to rip apart if he flexed too hard.

The large man knelt down to Anna's side and picked her up bridal style before placing her against a wall. He looked her over in search of any injuries and so far the only thing that made him frown was when he looked at her neck. There were signs of a bruise beginning to form around her throat but otherwise, she looked fine.

"Your highness are you alright, Lilian and me were on the way to the dining hall when we noticed there was something burning in the courtyard. I told Lilian I'd investigate and happened upon you being attacked."

Usually, Anna would've been more suspicious of the prince seeing as the _night _he stayed in their castle, the guards attacked them. However, him saving her banished all doubt she had for the man, it was true he could've just hired them so he could save the royal sisters from the bandits but the expression of worry on his face seemed genuine. She massaged her throat before speaking in a hoarse voice and tried ignoring the pain of making her voice respond.

"I'm ok, thank you for saving me. I'd hope I was able to take them both on by myself but perhaps I need more training.

Prince Ahimoth was about to respond when he whirled around without warning and grabbed the bandit with the bleeding nose's hilt before the man could run him through. The guard tried to overpower the large man but the prince seemed quite unimpressed with the attempt. Raising his right hand while still keeping the sword at bay with the other. The large man clenched his fist and with so much force that made Anna hitting him with her hilt look like a love tap, he smashed into the man's temple and watched him crumple to the ground immediately.

The redhead couldn't help but look at the now unconscious man and noticed a steady stream of blood coming out the side of the man's head. Ahimoth seemed oblivious to the fact that the blood was beginning to pool under his shoes, he was more concerned with the remaining guard getting to his feet. The man drew his sword and his eyes were unfocused as he wobbled from side to side. It seemed that the blow the Prince inflicted earlier had much more effect on him than he realized.

Ahimoth continued to blankly stare at his opposition before nonchalantly cracking his fingers then getting into a boxer stance. When the guard stabilized himself he charged with a roar and his sword held above his head ready to cleave the large man in two. Unfortunately for him, Ahimoth was deceptively fast for a guy his size. Anna barely caught the man shuffle his feet to the left dodging the attack before throwing a vicious left hook that knocked the guard to his knees. Before he could even think about recovering, the bandit only noticed a foot stepping into his line of sight then another one cracking him across the face. The blow had enough force to completely knock the man out but not cut his head the way the Prince's first one did.

With the two guards on the ground, Ahimoth went back over to Anna and checked her over one more time before offering her a hand when he ended his quick examination. The redhead took his hand and yelped a bit when he hauled her to her feet with only a quick tug. The grip on her hand was firm yet not crushingly painful and she couldn't help but look back at the two guards on the ground. Anna could tell that the man was large as well as strong but to be able to drop one guard with a single punch as well as move fast enough to dodge a smaller man's attack with no effort.

The redhead had heard many rumors about the warriors from Blackdust and wrote them off as just exaggerated rumors. Now that she was seeing their Prince in action, dispatching two men with no effort or fear made her think those rumors may not have been so exaggerated.

"Now that's been handled, why did your guards attack you, Princess?" Anna blinked at the question before her senses returned to her.

"I..don't know. I was trying to get to the courtyard but then these guys attacked me."

Ahimoth nodded before stepping over the unconscious bodies on the ground and reaching out to touch the gate then pushing it open. The redhead followed behind him as the two of them walked to the center of the courtyard where a small fire was burning. When the two of them reached the fire the stench made Anna recoil in revulsion but the Prince knelt down to get a closer look.

"Hey these men are wearing your guards' uniforms, and they were killed in an odd fashion. One had his head turned completely around while the other had a sword thrust into his skull. Whoever did this is no stranger to combat and has no qualms about desecrating a corpse. Your highness, I think it'd be wise if we go find your sister and your loved ones to confirm their safety."

Anna nodded her head and turned toward the castle but stopped when a thought occurred to her. "Shouldn't we raise the alarm?"

Ahimoth stood up to his full height then walked past her toward the castle while turning his head to answer her over his shoulder. "You can if you wish to but we don't know what guards to trust. It may be just these men masquerading themselves as your guards or some of your men are traitors. In both cases I doubt there are only two of them just guarding the courtyard, the men here were probably stationed here to act as an entry point as well as escape route once they've achieved their objective. What that objective is in unclear but we must make sure no one is harmed, I left Lilian in the dining room so I will be going there."

The more the Prince spoke so calmly about the situation the more suspicious Anna couldn't help feel toward the man. Doing what he suggested and not raising the alarm was smart however it put them ultimately on their own. Just her and the man who dispatched two guards with no effort whatsoever. It was _also _the _same _night he just arrived here that this was happening, for all she knew he could be apart of it and planned for those men to stay in the courtyard. Him saving her might've been a ruse as well so she'd trust him the way she trusted Hans.

_But what could he want?_

He's been here for hours since arriving and all of his guards stayed on the ship when he left earlier today. Surely they couldn't infiltrate the castle so quickly and without raising any alarms. As she continued to think of the possibility of him being the mastermind behind this, the man was already ascending the steps inside the castle. Looking down at the burning corpses and the unconscious men, Anna grounded her teeth before making her decision.

"Hey wait for me!"

* * *

Edward ran as fast as he could while following the tracks from the carriage as it exited the village. The man directing the carriage hadn't looked behind him while he was still in Edward's eyesight so he had no idea that he'd been seen. The young man hoped to catch up while the sleigh was being set up and confirm if Elsa was really in that carriage. If she wasn't then he would return to the village to warn Captain Stonewell but if she was…

_Then the only thing to do is go get her._

Edward shook his head, his first priority was seeing if she was there then forming a plan when he found out. Fortunately for him, the carriage had horses instead of reindeer so they couldn't travel too fast in the snow. The paved roads stopped a mile out of the village so the man would be forced to change the carriage out for the sleigh to continue wherever he was going. All Edward had to do was get there while the man was setting up the sleigh and see if Elsa was there before he left.

To avoid detection as he ran, Edward ran off the side of the road using the large snow banks as cover. If the young man comes across the carriage while he ran he could easily dive into one before the carriage driver could turn around.

It didn't take long until the checkpoint that was at the end of the paved road came into view. At the checkpoint was the carriage parked next to what seemed to be a group of guards. Edward skidded to a halt and got as close as he could without being discovered. He managed to get a few meters away from the carriage by diving under the snow and slowly crawling until he could hear the guards speaking.

"We need to inspect your sleigh and carriage, open them up now." The man driving the carriage stood up from the front of the carriage and hopped down before walking toward the back. From what Edward could see under the carriage there were five sets of feet heading to the back, so there were likely four guards to this one man. So why was he leading them to where he could be hiding Elsa at a casual pace? When the man turned the corner of the carriage and Edward got a look at his face he got his answer.

_Red eyes... Those guards don't stand a chance. _

Edward decided to stay hidden when he recognized those eyes, no one had blood-red eyes like that except for a very short list of people that he knew off. It wasn't that red irises weren't such a rare color it was the depth and intensity behind it that the young man knew _exactly _they belonged to. Revealing himself to this man was out of the question, there were too many things that could go wrong. So for now, he would stay hidden and come up with a plan.

When the red-eyed man unlocked the back of the carriage, the guards immediately noticed the blue fabric that caught Edward's attention. The man stood off to the side while three guards watched him and the last guard got inside the carriage to inspect the inside. The man watched the guard get closer and closer to the sleigh until he opened the top then gasped in surprise what was inside.

"Queen Elsa!"

That seemed to be the trigger word because before the other guards could raise their weapons at the man, he moved first. He quickly grasped the handle of the crossbow on his back and brought it down on the head of one guard before spinning to another and pulling the trigger. The bolt pierced the guard's shoulder and put him on the ground next to the stunned guard leaving only one guard on his feet. The man watched his opposition rush him with a sword and danced _just _out of his reach with every swing he took at the red-eyed man.

The guard in the carriage noticed that two of his comrades were already on the ground with the third trying to hold off the mysterious assailant. He thought about joining them to help combat the man but rescuing Queen Elsa was always the top priority. The guard quickly jumped into the sled and kneeled over to her side and undid the gag while hastily shaking her. All he got in response was a groan for her which relieved him because it meant she was still alive. He took a look at the shackles on her wrists and deemed them too thick to attempt to break at this moment.

The guard then gathered the Queen in his arms then jumped out of the sleigh and carriage before making a run for their own horses. As he was doing this the other two guards that were on the ground joined their comrades in attacking the man, only for all three of them hit nothing but air as he weaved through all of their attacks. The man had a shit-eating grin on his face as he danced through their attacks but slightly frowned when he noticed his captive was getting away.

Pulling a bolt from seemingly nowhere, the man reloaded his crossbow and aimed it at the horses the guard was running to. As he jumped over a horizontal swing of one guard he fired his crossbow and watched the bolt fly towards the animals. When it got close something odd happened, the bolt actually ignited and fell short of the horses hitting the ground right in front of the guard.

The guard carrying Queen Elsa felt the explosion before hearing it, his feet left the ground and blew him back toward the carriage. The horses being spooked took off in the opposite direction at the noise while the horses tied to the carriage tried the same but couldn't move due to the carriage wheels being locked. The other three guards made the mistake of turning to see what had caused the explosion, turning their backs on the man who seemed to smile in glee.

A blade stuck out from the throat of the closest guard while the other had his neck snapped like a toothpick. The third guard gained his wits and tried pulling out his pistol and took aim at the man. This actually made him pause as he looked down at the firearm. With a lazy pace, the man raised his hands next to his head with the crossbow in his right hand still in the after firing position.

"Don't move!"

The man didn't seem at all threatened by the firearm as he studied it with a critical eye. The pistol was very mahogany with silver ornate designs on it that resembled a flower. At the barrel, the design spelled out the letters 'R' and 'T'. The flintlock pistol was beautiful to look at and didn't seem to be a standard issued weapon for the average guard seeing as the man had already gone through a few guards' weapons after killing them.

"Is that pistol a family heirloom?"

The guard ignored the man's question as he backed up and called to his comrade. "Hey, are you and the Queen alright?" The guard got a groan in response and risked a look to see if they were alright. The blast only knocked him off his feet and had no shrapnel so he and the Queen received no cuts. The guard was scrambling back to his feet before responding. "We're good, just keep an eye on him." The guard with the pistol nodded and when he turned back to the man his eyes couldn't help but widen.

In the man's left hand was his pistol, he could tell from the initials on the barrel that belonged to his father when he received the weapon many years ago before passing it down to him. He couldn't help but look down his hand and notice that he still had his pistol in his hand, so why there two one of a kind pistols here of all places?

"This is a very beautiful pistol you know, I'm envious that you have it. The more I study it, the more I desire it, you do not deserve such a beauty…"

The guard ignored the man's ramblings before calling out to his comrade. "Get back to the village I'll keep him covered while you return the Queen." The other guard agreed and unlocked the wheels on the carriage before putting the platinum beauty on the seat and climbing into the driver's seat.

The man broke off from his ramblings to see the guard beginning to commandeer his carriage and began to walk toward it when the guard in front of him roared at him. "I said don't move!" The man didn't seem to care he was still being threatened as his gaze zoomed in on the woman who was beginning to stir in her seat.

"Looks like I spent too much time playing."

* * *

Elsa slowly began to regain consciousness as she slowly opened her eyes to see that she was against a wooden seat of some kind. She had a slight headache as she attempted to rub her head with one hand only for her to feel a tug on the other. When she saw the shackles on her wrists, all of her memories came flooding back to her; the guards, Záviš, the shackles, her kidnapping, all of it.

"Your Majesty!"

The woman turned to her side to see a guard and instantly she assumed that he was another imposter and screeched while jumping out of her seat. Before she could take off running to get to Anna, she noticed that Záviš was staring at her with a pistol aimed at his head by a man in a guard uniform. "Queen Elsa please we're here to rescue you!"

Elsa turned back to the guard who was climbing out of the carriage and approached her with his hands in a nonthreatening gesture. The platinum blonde looked around her surroundings as she took in the situation around her and began to relax. It seemed the man had taken her outside of the village but was intercepted by her guards. As she dropped her hands she was reminded of the shackles and held them out to the guard closest to her.

"Can you remove these?" The guard had already examined the shackles binding her and shook his head. "They're too thick to just break with force Your Majesty, we need the key."

"You mean this key?"

Elsa and the guard turned toward Záviš who held up a key in his right hand. The smile on his face returned as he placed the crossbow on his back and began tossing the key up and down in his hand. The pistol aimed at the back of his head didn't seem to cause him any worry whatsoever as he slowly walked forward.

"You aren't getting those off without this, Your Majesty."

Elsa scowled at the man when she thought back to his threat against her sister. Part of her wished she could access her powers and blast him with a bolt of ice but with these shackles that was unavailable to her. She _could _order the guard behind him to shoot the man and kill him where he stood but she felt that killing was never the answer. The guard next to her held out his hand while drawing his own pistol.

"Give me the key."

Záviš caught the key in his hand and looked down at it for a moment before turning his gaze on the guard in front of him. He held it out and wiggled it as if it was a treat for a dog then sang.

"Make me."

Before the guard had a chance to rise to the bait, a gunshot filled the night sky and Záviš fell face forward into the snow with a hole in the back of his head. Elsa and the guard recoiled in shock and looked up at the other guard who had smoke coming from the barrel of his pistol. Before they could question his actions, the guard grabbed the crossbow and threw it away before patting down Záviš's body for any hidden weapons. When he finished the guard looked around in the snow as he searched and searched for something. The guard closest to Elsa crouched down and felt for a pulse on Záviš's neck, when he felt none he shook his head toward the woman before reaching for the key in the man's hand. When the guard managed to turn over Záviš's hand he noticed the key was missing.

Knowing the key couldn't have gone that far he began to search in the snow hoping he'd grasp it soon. As he looked at the other guard still searched for whatever he was looking for before getting up to his feet.

"I can't find it…"

Elsa still being in shock that the guard had shot Záviš in the back couldn't help but ask. "F-find what?"

"His pistol." The guard searching for the key looked up in confusion for a moment. Záviš had no pistol when they fought him or searched his corpse. "What pistol, he only had a crossbow." The other guard shook his head as he looked around the snow.

"He had one while you were putting Her Majesty in the carriage, it looked eerily like mine and he held it in his right hand...the same hand he had that key." That made Elsa and the guard look at each other in confusion before looking at the corpse on the ground in front of them.

"That's why I shot him, if he could hide a full pistol and swap it out for a key without anyone noticing then I'm sure he was going to try something when you went to grab it from his hand." Elsa still thought shooting him was wrong but couldn't fault her guard for being careful. The other guard agreed and went down to search the inside of the man's clothing to hopefully feel for a key.

"Ouch, I can't believe you shot me in the head."

No sooner as the three of them heard that sentence, the corpse at their feet sprang into action. A sword instantly appeared in Záviš's hand as he impaled the guard closest to him with it before turning and pointing his arm toward the second guard. What happened after that, made Elsa and the other guard freeze. A pistol materialized into his open hand out of thin air, the same pistol that he was just shot with.

"As I said, this is a very beautiful pistol, especially with it being able to shoot two bullets before needing to be reloaded." Záviš then pulled the trigger and shot the guard in the forehead and watched him rock backward before hitting the ground. Elsa couldn't believe her eyes as her feet froze in fear as she watched the man walk over and reached down to pluck the pistol from the guard's hand. As he began to inspect it again she could see the hole in the back of his head close in dim red light that crackled as if lightning was in his head. When the light disappeared, so did the hole, Záviš turned back to her while holding up a pistol in each hand.

His blood-red eyes had amusement in them as she watched the pistol in his right-hand turn to black dust and blew away with the wind.

"Did you really think you were the only one with magical abilities?"

* * *

Anna, Olaf, and Ahimoth all strode through the castle until they made it to the dining room. The trio stopped when they noticed two more guards standing in front of the large door. The two of them respectively bowed before opening the doors to the dining room and let them pass. Anna was a bit hesitant to walk through the doors thinking that these guards could be more imposters but Ahimoth was already striding toward Lilian who was already sitting at the table.

When he got to her, he wrapped her in a hug before giving her a kiss on her cheek. Anna and Olaf hurried to their side as the guards closed the doors behind them. "Lilian I'm happy to see you're alright." The woman raised an eyebrow at her fiance as she hugged him back.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

No sooner had she said that did the doors to the dining room burst open. Ahimoth's eyes darkened as he turned with a murderous expression on his face and got into a fighting stance as he pushed Anna behind him next to Lilian. When the princess recognized who burst into the room she couldn't help but smile in joy.

"Kristoff!" The redhead ran past the large man and wrapped her mountain man in a warmer hug than the Prince. The ice harvester was instantly relieved to see his girlfriend was ok as he wrapped his arms around her and put his face in her hair. As he ran through the castle avoiding any guard he came across until he got to the dining room, his face drained of color when he saw two of them posted outside of the large room. Thankfully the guards recognized him from all of his running around with Anna and didn't spare him a second glance as he entered into the room.

"Anna you need to listen, Hans is back and he has men in the castle dressed as guards. He's after you and Elsa!" The redhead's eyes widened when she heard that and realized her sister wasn't in the dining room.

"Kristoff, Elsa isn't here we need to find her!"

"I'm afraid she's quite busy but I'm willing to take you to her my darling."

All of them turned to see Hans standing at the door with six men all dressed in guard uniforms with their pistols pointing at them. Kristoff looked past him at the open doors and was sad to see two bodies laying on the ground, the two guards he passed where actually real ones. His viewed focused back on the Hans as the son of a bitch began to slowly clap in his direction. "Bravo Kristoff your escape earlier was very ingenuitive using the steam as a smokescreen. I must admit, I wasn't expecting that."

The mountain man pushed Anna behind him as he faced Hans's firing line. With the banished prince being here and Elsa not, the mountain man could safely assume that unfortunately, they had her. He hoped that Edward made it to Captain Stonewell so they could get the guard situation dealt with as soon as possible.

"Now my darling Anna if you could please walk over here we'll be on our way." Kristoff instantly had an arm around his girlfriend when he heard Hans's words. He would _not _let anything happen to Anna, he promised Elsa he'd take care of her and more than anything he promised himself that Hans would _never _hurt her again. Seeing this the former prince couldn't help but laugh as he snapped his fingers and the flintlocks next to him clicked into firing position.

"Last chance, I already have the witch I don't need you, you coming with me spares your life but I can easily make do without you."

Anna had her head down as she listened and thought about what she should do. She was happy Kristoff cared so much for her safety but they were about to die, if she turned herself over to Hans then maybe he'll let her boyfriend and the engaged couple go too. She really didn't want to, she was downright scared, but she boldly pushed past her mountain man and took a step forward.

"I'll go with you just please don't hurt them."

Hans smiled as she raised a hand and wagged a finger to tell her to come to him. Angered that he was signaling her like a dog, the redhead maintained her regal posture and took another step forward before a large beefy hand grabbed her shoulder. She turned her head to see Ahimoth with a fierce expression on his face as he stepped in front of her.

"She's not going anywhere with you. I've heard of you and your poor attempt at taking over this kingdom in my travels. If you pulled any of this crap where I'm from you would've been beaten to death but here their Majesties allowed you to live and sent you back home. You are not worthy of their mercy and you will not have any of mine."

Hans tried to retain his aloof expression but looking into those green eyes shook him to his core. Faking a cough, the prince tried to regain control of the situation as he raised a hand signaling the men to prepare to fire.

"I suggest you lower your tone before I lose my temper. Princess Anna come over here or I will order my men to kill all of you."

Ahimoth kept his firm grip on the redhead's shoulder as he smiled in a devil may care fashion.

"You don't have the balls."

Frustrated anger blossomed in the prince's veins as he swiped his hand down as hard as he could and was elated to hear the sounds of gunshots go off around him. Anna instantly turned and tried to reach Kristoff as he did to her while Ahimoth stared straight ahead not worried in the slightest. Olaf shrieked and closed his eyes. Lilian on the other hand just wiggled her fingers with her palms facing upwards…

...and a column of flames erupted in front of them creating a shield that melted the bullets on contact.

The men fired the weapons not processing the curtain of fire in front of them as Hans's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. After the volley had ended, the flames died out revealing a surprise trio of Kristoff, Anna, and Olaf who stared at Ahimoth. The large man cracked his knuckles before slightly turning his head to address his fiancee.

"Thank you, Lilian, I'll take it from here you just look after these three."

* * *

After pulling the sleigh off the carriage, Záviš tied Elsa's hands to the front railing and began readying it to move out. All the while ignoring the looks from the blonde. For the life of her, she couldn't believe what she saw, this man had literally come back from the dead right in front of her _and _he was able to create objects in his hands. Thanks to Edward she knew there were others like her out there but she had no idea that someone like Záviš could exist.

Now that report about the boy killing a hundred men by himself made sense. If he could heal any injury then he could potentially survive any army. She couldn't help but ask her kidnapper the question that was burning in her mind.

"Are you the one of killed all those men from Ashfeld in Rosenburg a few years ago?" Záviš stopped what he was doing and turned around to stare her down with his red eyes. There wasn't any anger or playfulness in his eyes just genuine curiosity as he stopped in front of her.

"How do you know about that?"

Elsa swallowed and forced her mouth and tongue to work as she answered his question. "One of my allies had a report about a Blackdust soldier massacring over a hundred men when they betrayed him. The only description of the boy was that he had brown hair, tan skin, and deviled red eyes."

Záviš chuckled at her answer before turning back around to work. "You should already know your answer, it was a _boy _who achieved that I am much older than he is but I do know who you're talking about. I've only met him a few times and each time I felt my soul quake in fear at his presence. The boy mentioned in your report is now a man named after his most notable quality."

Elsa felt a small bit of snow hit her in the shoulder as Záviš turned his back on her. Keeping an eye on him but inching her head back, she searched for what had hit her when she saw some more snow fly in her direction from the ground. She squinted her eyes and couldn't hold back a smile when she finally recognized Edward peeking under the snow. Before she could say anything he put a finger to his lips and pointed toward her kidnapper. Understanding she quickly looked back at Záviš who was finishing readying the sleigh. She didn't know how long Edward had been there but she thought back to the four guards who died fighting Záviš. She couldn't take it if Edward met the same fate so she was glad he decided to stay hidden rather than rush the dangerous man.

As Záviš kept her back to him, she barely heard some shuffling next to her as she chanced a look to see Edward crawling underneath the sleigh. Unfortunately, Záviš seemed to pick something up as he stopped what he was doing and looked around. Edward stilled under the sleigh and dared not move or breathe as he hoped the man would not notice him. Elsa couldn't help but hold her breathe also before she forced her mind to think of something.

"What was that quality you mentioned. You said he was named after it, what was it?" Záviš looked over to her for a moment and Elsa fought to maintain her blissfully curious expression and keep no fear from showing on her face. It was a long moment before Záviš answered her as he finished readying the sleigh.

"Pride."

When he finished he grabbed her arm and placed her on the seat in front and walked behind the sleigh to get to his side. As he walked, Elsa looked back in the direction of Arendelle seemingly taking it for the last before her kidnapper whisked her way. Záviš chuckled at the thoughts of fear and worry that could be swirling around in her head so he didn't care to pay attention to what she was really looking at.

She was looking at the slightly disturbing trail of snow that went under the sleigh and as they were off could see the mound that was under it had disappeared. Edward had made it under the sleigh and was holding on as they went off into the night.

_I really hope you have a plan, Edward. It looks like all I can do is depend on you, please be careful. _

Hey guys new chapter after three weeks. I've been really busy these last few weeks so I couldn't drop a chapter as soon as i wanted. This is one of my longer chapters so I hoped you all enjoyed it. I'm on vacation until the 19th so my goal is to drop two more chapters before I go back to work. Reviews are a great way to motivate me :D.


	11. Chapter 11

Ahimoth charged with a battle cry as he quickly closed the distance between him and the intruders. He stopped in front of one imposter with his body already tensed up to release a rather heavy right hook. The man barely had time to defend himself after witnessing the wall of fire and a giant rushing him before a fist slammed into the side of his head knocking him into the ground. The Prince didn't stop there, it took one extra stride to reach another imposter and with the added speed of him jumping toward the man, Ahimoth's left hook put him on the ground as well.

With two of their men down, that seemed to bring back the imposters as they surrounded the Prince with their swords drawn. The large man regained his boxer stance before hopping back so he could keep all the men in his eyesight. He wasn't too worried about Hans since he could see that the slime had been caught off guard with the wall of fire and wore an expression of fear on his face as he stared at Lilian who watched carefully with her hands ready.

Anna, Kristoff, and Olaf couldn't take their eyes off the woman. they were all thinking the exact same thing when they realized she saved their lives.

_She's just like Elsa. _

Anna surprisingly managed to snap out of her stupor first, she was surprised to actually see another Elemental in person and so soon but thinking of that made her think of her sister. Hans said she was _busy _which meant she could be in trouble and that worried her. She needed to get to Elsa before anything happened to her. The problem was that she didn't know where Elsa was the only person who might know where she was is likely Hans. The redhead took her eyes away from the brunette and focused on the man who tricked her. His face was wide with fear as he stared at Lilian, he must've thought that with their numbers, she'd be able to snap her fingers and turn them all to ash.

_Well, she could do that._

Lilian made no such effort all she did was keep an eye on her fiance as he weaved and attacked three imposters. Kristoff, having enough of being held back tonight charged and caught one of them off guard then knocked him out with an overzealous haymaker. Ahimoth looked ready to tell the mountain man that he should back off and let him deal with it but remembered the princess mentioning she had a boyfriend. Seeing the way he protected her made it obvious she was talking about him. These men threatened her life and he wanted to fight back when it came to protecting someone's loved ones, asking them to turn away from a fight was an insult to them, so the Prince allowed the man to stay.

Ducking under a swing from an imposter, Ahimoth sprang back up with a mean uppercut that caught the man in his chin and knocked him off his feet. Before he could hit the ground however, The large man grabbed his feet and swung him around like a flail at another imposter. The two cracked heads against each other and were instantly down for the count. Kristoff was trying to wrestle the sword out of the last imposter's hand but proved to be having a bit of trouble. Finally getting fed up the mountain man pushed the weapon above their heads and with no small bit of force slammed his forehead against his opponent's. The ensuing sound made everyone wince except Ahimoth who snickered. Kristoff managed to stand upright with an angry yet determined expression on his face as the imposter fell backward unconscious.

With all the imposters down for the count, everyone turned to Hans who managed to calm himself. Ahimoth stepped forward with a grin as he addressed the smaller man. "Ready to dance pretty boy?"

Hans took a step back as sweat began to build along his brow. His plan was perfect, impersonate their guards kidnap Elsa and Anna, everything was going according to plan. However, it all failed thanks to these three newcomers. That man Edward was supposed to be no threat however he managed to slip through his fingers with that annoying ice harvester. He also didn't expect dignitaries who could take on multiple men barehanded as well as one of them being an Elemental.

_What are the odds?!_

The only consolation was knowing that they _did _capture the Queen, the signal earlier confirmed it. Perhaps he could use her as leverage to escape? Hans knew it would work on Anna and Kristoff but he wasn't so sure about the other two. That oaf of a man seemed to like calling bluffs and the witch could flex her fingers and set him on fire to make him tell where Elsa was. He was running out of options, perhaps he should've retreated when he found out they had the Queen, but he got greedy and wanted Anna as well. Now he was in a tight spot, going over every possible way to escape.

"Looks like you're having trouble, Hans."

Everyone in the room turned to the new voice that entered the dining hall. A middle-aged man entered the room with his hands behind his back and his eyes closed with an easy smile on his face. He was bald, tanned skin, and had a goatee with no mustache. He was dressed in a long black coat that covered him from his shoulders to the middle of his shins. He had black gloves and boots that left him completely covered except for his face. Hans's eyes lit up in surprise as he addressed the man.

"Greed?!"

The man, Greed, turned to the young man with a smile before putting a hand on his shoulder. "It's alright, you got too greedy in your attempt. There's nothing wrong with wanting more, but you must always remember. _Always _protect what you already have and never risk it. If they catch you, they could get the Queen back by making you tell them where she is, thus you'll lose what you've gained. Its time we take our leave, send up the signal flare for us to retreat I will join you in a moment."

Hans looked back at the group inside and to Greed's encouraging smile and took off down the hallway making Kristoff and Ahimoth attempt to follow him only for the mysterious man to step in their path. "I do believe you all heard me when I said to always protect what you already have. The Prince is mine and I will not allow any of you to steal him from me."

The large man stepped forward and got into his stance again as he faced the bald man who still had that smile on his face. "I do believe that you don't quite understand your position right now. You're outnumbered four to one and unless you want to end up like those cronies on the ground I suggest you get out of the way."

Greed turned his head to see the unconscious imposters on the ground and his smile dimmed for a moment before returning to face the large man in front of him. "Always the confident vanguard aren't you boy? Even after failing to protect your comrades in Elysion, you still put yourself on the front lines to protect the ones behind you, such a noble warrior."

Both Ahimoth and Lilian froze when Greed stopped speaking. Anna and Kristoff noticed and were about to try and shake them out of it but noticed the man pulling something cylinder-shaped out of his pocket before tossing it straight up in the air. Ahimoth snapped out of it first and when he looked up to get a better look at it, his eyes widened as he grabbed Kristoff and jumped toward the two women and snowman.

"Lilian! Shield now!"

The brunette barely snapped out of it and raised her hands as another column of flames crept up in front of them but it was too late.

The object hit the ground and a bright light engulfed the room as well as screeching sound ricochet off the walls. Everyone instantly covered their ears and hit the ground, all except Olaf who began to panic. Looking around he noticed that Greed seemed perfectly fine as he stood with a smile on his face and waved at the little snowman. He turned his head to the side and motioned at the inside of his ears where something seemed to be clogging them.

_That's it!_

Quickly, Olaf went over to the table cloth and began tearing strips off it before rushing and stuffing them in all of his friends' ears. When he managed to get Kristoff's in last, the snowman looked up expecting to see Greed but only seeing black dust blowing away into nothingness where he once stood. Everyone got back to their feet as they looked around seeing the room empty.

"Thank you, Olaf, did you see where that guy went?"

The little snowman could do nothing but shake his head. Ahimoth ran over to check on Lilian and after seeing she was fine, rushed out into the hallway. Kristoff could see him about to turn the corner when he called out to him. "Where do you think you're going?" The large man yelled over his shoulders as he turned the corner.

"To catch Hans and Greed!"

The mountain man seemed torn in wanting to join him but resolutely reminded himself that Anna was his priority. Walking back into the dining room, he watched Anna sit Lilian into a chair as she held her head in her hands like she had a headache.

"Are you alright?"

The brunette was silent for a moment before she nodded her head. "I'm ok, using my magic takes a bit out of me, that bomb made me a little dizzy is all, thank you for your concern." The princess looked back to the ice harvester to see him walking up to them with his hands on his hips. "Ahimoth took off after those two guys, I didn't want to leave you two here alone until we got the imposter guards situation under control. Ed said that he'd warn Captain Stonewell but that was a long while ago, something should've happened by now."

Anna's face scrunched up in worry as she stood up. "Do you think something happened to him while he was on his way?" Kristoff shrugged his shoulders before nodding to the brunette while giving Anna a look. The redhead caught the look and understood it, she was dying to ask herself.

"So Lilian…"

The brunette didn't even have to look up to know what she was going to ask. "Yes, I'm an Elemental. That was part of the reason I joined my fiance on this voyage, I've heard tales of the infamous Snow Queen and wanted to meet her for myself. I planned on revealing this when we had time alone as I'm sure you know that people aren't really fond of people like us."

"That's not true, sure Elsa had a shaky start in the beginning but everyone here loves her and her magic. You don't have to feel afraid of showing who you really are here." Anna's attempt to assure her made Lilian laugh as she thought back when she first met Ahimoth.

"Fear keeps you alive."

* * *

Elsa fought to remain calm when the sleigh came to a stop at the opening of a cave up the mountain. There were two guards posted at the mouth who simply nodded to Záviš as he walked over and untied the link that bound the blonde's shackled hands to the front railing. He then grabbed the chain that held her hands together and roughly pulled her behind him as they entered the cave.

Elsa didn't look back as she tried to keep up but she was worried about Edward, with two guards next to sleigh they would see him when he emerged from underneath. She was sure he could take care of himself but if one of the guards managed to alarm the other bandits then she was worried he would be overwhelmed. Her thoughts were interrupted when Záviš stopped at a heavy wooden door deep inside the cave. He knocked three times before hearing a 'come in' then he walked into the room bring the Queen with him.

The first thing Elsa noticed was all the fine items in the room, there were robes, jewels, weapons, armor, and stacks of gold coins. Whoever lived in this room had the wealth of royalty in this one room, the blonde was surprised. While she was being dragged through the cave she saw the bandits inside had dirty equipment and clothing like they were barely scraping by, it seemed their leader kept all the riches for himself instead of sharing it. She wondered how none of the bandits revolted against their leaders for all these riches in the room, perhaps their leader was so fearsome they didn't dare challenge him.

Záviš roughly pushed her into taking a seat at the table as he stood off to the side and waited for the occupant of the room to show himself. It didn't take long as slow footsteps echoed in the room until Elsa saw a man turn the corner and sat himself down in front of her. The first thing she noticed was that he was bald, that and had an eerie smile on his face.

"Good evening Queen Elsa, my name is Greed, it's nice to finally meet the Snow Queen of Arendelle." The man was precise the way he spoke as if he was well educated and was born to attend high-class functions. She didn't know if this was some kind of trick or anything but one thing that unnerved her was the feeling she got from this man. It was almost like the feeling she got from Záviš, the ever-present sensation that she was close to something _evil_. Záviš was a killer who enjoyed what he did and felt no fear or remorse when faced with her guards, she knew he was evil but somehow this man scared her even more. A firm hand on her shoulder from her kidnapper forced her to make her mouth work.

"What is it that you want?"

Greed couldn't help himself and started to chuckle at the question, the sound coming from his lips sent a tingle up Elsa's spine. He calmed himself as he leaned toward her and put his elbows on the table that separated them. "My employer wants revenge against you for ruining his attempt on your throne but me personally, I want you."

Elsa thought on his answer and only knew one person who attempted to take her throne, Prince Hans. When she sent him back to the Southern Isles, she received a note from the oldest brother saying that he would be punished, how did he manage to come back and with a bandit army no less? She shook her head, she could figure that part out later, right now she needed to find out why he wanted her.

"Why is it you want me?"

"Tell me, your Majesty, how many Elementals have you heard of in your lifetime?" Elsa's eyes widened as she absorbed the words in her head and thought about all the implications. It seemed that after learning the word 'Elemental' people knowing about them have been drawn to Arendelle. Prince Ahimoth came _just _because he heard she was one and now this man wanted because of the same reason. She honestly hoped that what she was didn't jeopardize Anna of Arendelle.

"Judging by your facial expression I would wager not many. You see, I've been around a few in my life. Helped kill some, while watched my comrades be killed by them. I have no grudge against them, they never stole from me so there's no reason for me to hate them. However, they are a large liability to me, which I cannot have if I wish to continue my lifestyle. Hans wanted to kill you himself after you sign over your kingdom to him but something dawned on me as we planned. I have much more use for you alive than dead..."

"I'll never sign over Arendelle or work for you."

A harsh slap from her Záviš made her head whip to the side as Greed didn't seem to care to notice the interruption and continued. "After we conclude our business here, I plan on taking you to someone who will benefit from having what he'd call a 'live specimen'. But first we need Hans here, I've already told him to retreat after his failed attempt on your sister so you can relax, she's fine. However I would prefer if you already signed the documentation so he can take his prize and we can leave, otherwise, things can become unpleasant."

Elsa was relieved to hear her sister was fine, practically speaking if Elsa were to die her sister would take the throne so Arendelle wouldn't fall to Hans. Emotionally speaking, she was happy her sister wasn't in danger because of her, she already has a hard time forgiving herself for freezing her she couldn't take her being killed because of her. She looked up at Greed was still smiling his grin that she now felt was mocking and turned to look at Záviš who looked to be quite irritated at her. She took in a deep breath before she said her next words.

"You'll get nothing from me that will put my family and Arendelle in danger."

The smile on Greed's face dropped as his eyes began to crack open and Elsa could finally see his eye color that made her breath hitch. The unique red eyes she's only seen from the man next to her, stared at her with a disappointed gaze before turning to look at her kidnapper. "Perhaps she will be more forthcoming if you persuaded her Záviš, just make sure she remains presentable."

The man next to her nodded as he roughly grabbed her arm and hauled her to her feet then out of the room. When the man slammed the door behind him, Elsa couldn't help but jump at the sound. She was trying to appear strong and immovable but the timid child she had inside of her was freaking out. Knowing Anna was safe gave her the strength to openly defy her captors but the memory of Záviš dispatching her guards as well as his own men chilled her to the bone. If he was willing to kill his own men for disobedience what would he do to _her? _

The two came up to another heavy door which the man behind her pushed her through, inside was an empty room with two chairs. Záviš sat her down in one chair before leaving the room and closing the door behind him with the sound of a lock engaging. With him out of the room, Elsa was able to take a calming breath as she thought about Edward who was likely outside. When she was being taken through the cave she saw a large number of bandits inside and couldn't see any way he'd be able to get through all of them. She knew that he was a capable combatant but for so many men against just one seemed impossible.

_Unless he's Pride._

After hearing that Záviš knew the man in the report from Ashfeld, she had a hard time seeing Edward as someone who inspired fear in someone like her kidnapper. Since he's been in Arendelle he's been nothing but polite and kind, with a large undercurrent of guilt from his past she didn't know about. He honestly didn't seem very prideful in any regard, she heard about the altercation he had in a bar from Kristoff. She couldn't imagine someone who would strangle a man just for questioning his abilities letting someone else spit on him and walking away. Part of her couldn't help but wish he was, she'd already seen more people die today than in her whole life, she didn't want to see him meet the same fate.

The door to the room slammed open as Záviš came in carrying a very large barrel of water, it easily was tall enough to meet her neck while she was sitting down but he carried it with one arm. The man dropped it in front of her before taking a seat next to her and leaned forward with his elbows on his legs. His expression regained some of its amusement as he began to speak with a light voice that Elsa could tell was on the edge of losing its patience.

"Alright, let's try this again. Will you sign over Arendelle?" The way he asked showed that he already knew her answer but nonetheless wanted to hear it from her mouth. Taking a deep breath then exhaling she gave her answer with the royal poise her parents would be proud to see from her in this situation.

"No, I will not."

Elsa barely saw Záviš's mouth spread into a full grin before she found water rushing into her mouth as he grabbed the back of her head and held it in the barrel. The blonde instantly tried to use her shackled hands to push give her the leverage to get her head out of the water but her strength was insignificant compared to his. More water rushed into her lungs as her struggles began to get weaker and before she felt she was about to drown, her head was wrenched back out the water. She couldn't help but try and clear her lungs of water as she hacked and coughed all the while Záviš sat next to her with his grin still on his face.

"Greed said you were to remain presentable so the more persuasive methods I employ are off-limits given they would leave you in a less than presentable state. This method, however, keeps you perfectly fine on the outside while illustrating the severity of your situation. I sincerely doubt you wish to endure this for a long period of time so I would advise you to think carefully about your next answer." The man grabbed Elsa by the base of her signature ponytail and made her face him as she continued to cough but focused her eyes on him.

"Will you sign over Arendelle?"

The blonde didn't want to say anything after being dunked in the barrel, she rarely went swimming whenever she had free time but she had found she enjoyed it. However she never experienced the feeling of drowning, she never stayed underwater for that long, and with the death of her parents, she couldn't imagine a worse way of dying. Right now all she wanted was to catch her breath and get ready for the next time he dunked her because she doubted that he would only do it once and if she was ready, she could tough it out.

Záviš didn't give her time to completely clear her lungs as he forced her back into the barrel again and held her in even longer. Fortunately, she was able to close her mouth in time and now she held her breath hoping he'd pull her out before she had to breathe again. She felt him wrench her back again and she finally let out of breath she'd been holding in and tried to suck in more air, only for him to dunk her head back in without even asking the question.

Even more water rushed into her lungs than the first time as he held her there until black dots started to appear in her vision. When he pulled her back out she couldn't help but throw up water and couldn't stand the burning feeling in her throat as her kidnapper sat back with a satisfied expression on his face.

"This ends when you just agree to sign the damn agreement. Hans just wants a kingdom, I doubt he'd do anything that would endanger your people. When your idiot sister left him in charge he was the perfect gentleman opening the gates and offering people comfort in the winter you created. Your people will be safe from someone like you who has the power to freeze armies and kill anyone who would dare stand against you. For them, you should sign."

Her response to his speech was her swinging her shackled hands at his head, only for him to catch them before they could reach them with an annoyed expression. Elsa's face was wet with makeup smears fading with all the water and he could tell there were tears in her eyes from her struggle. Her hair was flowing down her back because Záviš kept pushing and pulling the base of her braid that made it come undone. Any other person would have a fearful expression on her face but this _little girl _had a fierce glare aimed at him with nothing but anger in her eyes as she spoke in a raspy voice.

"Do not...insult...my sister.."

Záviš remembered what Hans said and how the Snow Queen was supposed to be a scared little girl trying to live up to her father and kingdom. She was supposed to be afraid of hurting anyone with her powers which he understood as he watched her attack his men, she specifically tried to trap them instead of injuring them. In fact, the one and only attack he considered somewhat fatal from her was the spikes she conjured to fend him off, and even then they didn't come anywhere close to impaling him. She was also heartbroken when she thought she killed her sister and immediately caved into sorrow. Based on all that information he assumed his little speech about her powers would get her to see his way of thinking.

_Perhaps it would've if I didn't insult her sister. _

At this stage he knew she wouldn't agree to anything he said, that left only one recourse.

Záviš got out of his seat and opened the door before calling for two men. When they arrived a minute later, he stepped aside and allowed them in. Elsa looked up at the two new men and with anger still coursing through her veins she glared defiantly at them both. They were easily the most unclean savage-looking men she'd ever seen, yellow cracking teeth, thin dirty hair, and a mountain of grim characterized them. They even looked the same, maybe they were brothers. Regardless, her kidnapper closed the door behind them and walked over then took the chair away from the blond then putting it against the wall.

"I want her to _look _presentable, so be gentle."

The two nodded and began to approach the woman as Záviš sat in the corner with a bored expression on his face as he watched the two of them grab her and began tearing off pieces of her clothing as she struggled.

He knew now that she needed to be broken before he could get anything useful out of her.

* * *

Edward could hear the two bandits talking right next to the sled as he slowly dropped down into the snow. For now, he couldn't be seen since he was under the sleigh but if he were to move to get out from under they'd surely detect him. So for the last couple of minutes, he's been waiting and watching for an opportunity to roll to the other side of the sleigh where they couldn't see him. It seemed that he didn't have to wait very long as one of them apparently made some kind of joke that offended the other and now they were in each other's faces.

Using them argument as a distraction, the young man quickly rolled to the other side of the sleigh and crouched to remain hidden. During the few minutes he waited, Edward had begun to plan a way for him to escape with Elsa. He needed the sleigh to cover ground faster with the blonde however he also needed to find a way to keep the bandits from giving chase. Perhaps he could find some explosives in the cave and seal the exit to get them a head start. Of course, that meant he had to ditch the sleigh sooner or later since it would make a trail for the bandits to follow.

That left going in and actually finding Elsa, he didn't know how large the cave was or where they'd keep her. He planned on knocking out the two guards and taking their uniforms to infiltrate the cave, hopefully with how cold it was no one would notice him covering his face with a scarf. Finally, he needed to get the key to the shackles that bound Elsa's magic. He supposed that he could get them off back at the forge in Arendelle but it would be ideal if Elsa could use her magic to cover their tracks as well as slow down their pursuers.

It was a rough plan but he felt he could make it work, the only kink in his plan was that man who was with her. Edward already knew that killing him would be difficult since he could just regenerate after every attack. The man was also skilled enough to take on multiple men at once and was able to capture Elsa. fighting him head-on would be a waste of time, time the bandits could use to regroup and surround him. There was one idea he had for the man however, it was a bit drastic but Edward hoped to avoid confronting him altogether.

With his plan finalized the young man inched around to the edge of the sleigh and took a deep breath before exhaling. When he finished he rushed out from the side and closed the distance between him and the two men before they could react. When Edward reached them, he jumped and put both his knees to his chest before throwing his legs forward and kicking the back of the bandit closest to him into his friend. The two instantly were on the ground on ensnared in a tangle of limbs, before they could get up, Edward grabbed the bandit on top's head and smashed into the other one's. A few hits later the two were out cold, dragging their bodies further away toward the treeline, he quickly hid them and took one of their uniforms and weapons before throwing the other's away. He left them untied so they could get out of the cold when they woke up because he'd be long gone before they did.

After making sure he looked the part as well as checking the sword and flintlock pistol on his hip, Edward put his scarf up and walked into the mouth of the cave. As he walked he passed a few bandits that didn't spare him a glance as they were lazing about inside. The cave was basically a large room with side tunnels near the back. There were tents set up in sections with fires in the middle and bandits were gathered around them chatting with one another.

Randomly picking a tunnel, Edward made his way inside and saw that there was a horse stable built-in with only one bandit tending to them. There were quite a few horses for only one bandit to tend to but that actually gave the young man an idea. Walking up to the bandit, he coughed his throat to get the man's attention. The bandit turned around with an annoyed expression as he turned to see whoever wanted his attention. When he saw it was someone in the complete uniform with the scarf up like a newbie, he turned back around and went back to his task.

"Hey, I'm new here and I was told this is where we keep the prisoners. I was supposed to bring this guard from Arendelle here but the two bandits I was with said that before I could bring him in I needed to get permission from the boss first." The bandit snorted in amusement, whenever they got new recruits they'd send them to the wrong places on purpose just to see how long it took for them to wise up. Obviously, the new guy could tell no prisoners were kept here since there were so many horses. Part of him wanted to send the kid somewhere else but then when he found out he went to the wrong place he'd come back here and he didn't have the patience to deal with him, so he decided to just be honest.

"Look, rookie, they obviously were fucking with you. If you go out there and take the second tunnel from the right while looking into the cave, it'll lead you to the prison." Edward nodded as he turned around then 'accidently' dropped his pistol after tampering with flintlock mechanism and let off a round that scared the horses. The bandit jumped as they all went out of control as he turned around to rip off the young man's head only for him to be gone already.

Edward watched a few bandits run past him in search of the noise as he picked the farthest tunnel away from where the prison was. In his mind, if he were setting up a camp, he would put the arms room in the farthest possible place from the prisoners but close enough for his troops to get their weapons. His theory proved correct when he found crates and racks of weapons filling the room with two guards stationed at the end of the tunnel. They both raised their rifles at his approach as he put his hands up.

"What do you think you're doing here, who told you to come this way?"

"The guy tending to the horses, you didn't hear that gunshot? Well it was me, my pistol went off on accident and it seems to be broken, he said that I should come down here and grab a new one." Edward slowly showed them his stolen pistol that had the back part of the mechanism broken so it wouldn't stay cocked after pulling it back. The bandits lowered their rifles after they both had a look then turned to face the young man.

"Alright wait here, I'll grab you a new one."

"And let you pick out an even worse one? No offense but I don't know you enough to put life in your hands with a weapon that I'll be using, I'll grab a new one."

The bandit turned back with an angered expression and took a step forward and grabbed Edward's collar. "They're all the same now you'll get whatever pistol I get for you and you'll like it or I'll give you a beating so bad your own mother won't recognize you."

Edward's eyes flashed red when the bandit mentioned his mother but he choked down his anger by pushing off the man's hand and getting in his face. "Give me your pistol then, I'm sure you wouldn't carry one around that doesn't work. I'll get yours and you can pick a brand new one since they're all the same."

Before the bandit could respond the other one cut in with an annoyed tone. "Just let him go pick out a new one himself, it's almost time to change shifts and I'm tired of hearing you two argue." With a seething glare at Edward, the bandit moved aside and let the young man into the cave of weapons.

Edward walked past them and secretly looked back to see they didn't even turn to watch him grab one. They probably didn't care he didn't know which crate was which since they were about to change shifts anyway. The young man didn't ask for help because he was hoping to find some type of explosives to help facilitate his plan. He opened one crate and found a couple barrels of gunpowder which made him smile. Leaving that one open he checked around until he finally found the crate with the explosives inside. The black balls were neatly stacked in rows of five, carefully without making a sound he picked up two before pocketing them and closing the crate then putting another crate on top of the one he just opened. Edward then returned to the crate with the gunpowder inside, grabbing a handful he carefully made a trail going from the crate to the only lantern that lit up the room. It took a few handfuls to get it right but before long his trail was done and it was under the lantern.

He then closed the crate before finally making an exaggerated sigh of frustration as he addressed the two bandits. "Ok, where are the pistols? I found gunpowder, explosives, swords, shields, and rifles but no pistols." The bandit who first addressed him turned with an expression that suggested that he was talking to an idiot.

"They're next to the rifles you blind twit."

Edward went to the crate with the rifles inside and opened it before searching through them making the bandit rolled his eyes as he turned back around. The young man knew he meant the crate next to the rifles but he wanted them to think he was an idiot that should learn where everything was by looking through everything. This also gave him the opportunity to discreetly remove a flintlock mechanism from one of the rifles before closing the crate. He then went over to the lantern and carefully placed the mechanism on top of the trail of gunpowder as he cocked it back. He then positioned it in a way that if someone moved the lantern then the mechanism would spring forward and ignite the trail. The lantern was obviously disturbed however it did hide the trail of gunpowder as the light didn't illuminate it. The young man estimated whenever they changed shifts, the other bandits would see the lantern and move it. Regardless if it went off or not, Edward had the explosives he pocketed so he already achieved his objective.

Edward finally picked up a new pistol and walked out while flashing his middle finger without turning back to the bandit. "I hope you die in the next raid asswipe." The bandit shouted curses at his back as the young man finally made exited the tunnel before making his way toward the prison. As he walked down the tunnel he looked out to see if there were any more bandits but was surprised that it seemed mostly empty. There was a table with two chairs pushed out along a wall with a row of cells down the tunnel. On the table were various items such as knives, a plate of grime that looked, edible and some shackles with a key inside that unlocked them. Edward looked more closely at the shackles and was happy to see that they were the same shackles as the ones Elsa had. He was sure these were a different pair of shackles than the ones the blonde had on, however, the key for most of these types of shackles were the same.

The young man picked up the key and was about to check every cell when he heard a scream coming from the end of the tunnel. His heart froze as his feet moved him toward the direction of the scream. Edward could tell it was female, the screams in his past made him well aware of what someone sounded like when they were in extreme circumstances. The young man knew bandits were known to do horrid things to women, things that many would not be able to recover from. He knew they took Elsa and for a moment he selfishly wished that it was some other woman who made that scream. Edward finally reached the end where he could see a heavy wooden door.

He thought about listening in and determining how many were inside and close they sounded to the door. Perhaps he could get them to come out here with some bullshit excuse or join them under the pretense of wanting to mess with whoever was behind this door. The latter made the most sense, he could play the newbie card and confirm if Elsa was really there. If she was then he could make up some excuse to get her out of there and if she wasn't then he'd ask if they knew where she was. Edward picked up his hand and prepared to knock to announce his presence to those inside as he took a calming breath to calm his fiercely beating heart.

"**NO! PLEASE DON'T!" **

Edward _knew _that voice.

It was _Elsa's._

The young man barely registered that he'd kicked in the heavy door and stepped into the room making everyone freeze as they stared at him in surprise. The only thing his mind could register was that there were two men holding down a naked woman on the ground and they both had their pants off.

He didn't care that Záviš was sitting a couple of feet away from him with surprise etched into his expression. He didn't care that the two men stopped and turned to him with wide eyes. He didn't care his eyes turned the deepest shade of red they've ever had in a long time. He didn't care that all the self-control he had worked so hard for while he was in Arendelle snapped like a twig under an elephant's foot.

All he cared about was the beautiful blue eyes he had come to enjoy, had a cascade of tears flowing from them.

Edward regretted everything that made him a monster on the inside and tried _so hard_ to keep it hidden. But now...the monster inside him was ready to explode out into the open at his command.

Edward didn't even have to ask…

**Second chapter is up, I know that maybe I should've warned there would be some content but I avoided specific words and its rated M please don't report me. INSTEAD YOU SHOULD REVIEW SO I CAN GET ANOTHER CHAPTER UP BEFORE I GO BACK TO WORK. **


	12. Chapter 12

The phrase "seeing red" depicted someone losing themselves to their rage so completely that they couldn't think straight.

Edward was not one of those people.

When in the throes of his rage, he thought more clearly, reacted much faster, and was _so much _stronger than usual. His first targets in the room should've been the two men holding the beautiful woman because he was most enraged at them. However, he knew that the man sitting against the wall was a much larger threat than the two of them combined, so he would start with Záviš.

Edward had his sword drawn before the man could even get out of his seat. Normally, one would charge their opponent with a sword to slash them. In this case the young man cocked his arm back before throwing it as hard as he could at the Záviš's body. The blade sailed through the air before embedding itself deep into the man's body forcing him to sit back down into his seat while looking at the sword handle sticking out of his chest. Before he could even think of pulling it out, Edward had closed the distance and with no little amount of force, kicked the hilt even deeper into Záviš's chest forcing the blade to come out his back and into the cave wall.

Essentially pinned and impaled by the sword, the man went limp after attempting to pull the sword out with no avail. Edward took a brief second to notice the red light illuminating his wounds and knew the man would not stay down for long but he knew that he bought himself plenty of time to deal with the other two men in the room. They had already released Elsa who had backed up against a wall while trying to cover herself with her arms and legs. As they began to pick up their pants and weapons, Edward allowed himself a quick glance at the beautiful woman's body.

On the surface he saw no marks whatsoever but when he looked into her eyes he actually got angrier. There was shock and surprise from his arrival, however he could all see the soul shattering fear in her eyes as well as the hurt that dwelled in those blue gems. The young man decided that not one drop of their putrid blood would get on her skin.

_Mine on the other hand…_

The first bandit attempted to swing a sword at him but was surprised to see that his wrist was caught midswing. A second later, his knee caved in backwards as Edward kicked it forcing him on the ground. The young man maintained his grip on the man's wrist as he ducked under a behind the second bandit's attack and kicked him away. The next thing that happened made everyone in the room save Edward freeze in terror.

The young man put his foot under the pit of the bandits arm and proceeded to pull on his arm while pushing with his foot. First came the sound of his shoulder popping out of place, next was all the bones in the arm coming out of place, then his skin tearing, before finally the blood splatter when his arm came off. Elsa and the other bandit could not comprehend the limp in the young man's arm as the bandit on the ground wailed in pain as his blood kept squirting out.

Edward ignored his screams and turned toward the other bandit who actually looked towards the door and considered making a break for it. He didn't get far as an amputated arm smacked him in the face and knocked him off his feet. The bandit hit the ground and slowly turned to look up at the young man who stood over him with his red eyes promising death for him. He let go of his sword and put his hands up hoping to beg for his life, however Edward didn't seem to want to listen because he lifted his makeshift weapon in his hands and proceeded to bring it down on the bandit's head.

The sound the arm made as it hit the man's face made Elsa flinch as she closed her eyes and covered her ears. It did little good as she could still hear the sounds of the arm hitting flesh over the bandit in front of her hyperventilating over the loss of his arm. Finally the impact sounds ceased and the blonde chanced a look to see Edward with his back to her standing over the bandit's body. The arm was carelessly tossed aside as he moved away from his victim who she could tell was no longer breathing. The young man's face was away from her as she saw him look down at the bandit with only one arm. This bandit actually held up his only hand and was able to push out a few words.

"Please...let me go...you already took my arm...I'll never do this again. I-I'll quit being a bandit and will get an honest life, hell I'll turn myself into the guards...JUST PLEASE LET ME GO!"

Elsa watched the young man not move a muscle as he stared at the man down who was begging for his life. Even after everything, she still felt that killing was never the answer. She'd seen enough and was about to raise her voice and ask Edward to spare the man, but she never got the chance.

Edward lifted his leg and aimed his boot at the man's head and before Elsa could say anything to stop him, he slammed it down and crushed it like an egg. Blood splattered everywhere from the ground, walls, and even Edward himself. Everywhere except Elsa who was in the young man's shadow, her skin was free of blood that stained the room.

The blonde woman shuddered as she looked back and forth between the bodies in the room before she settled on the young man. There was no heavy breathing or any sign of exhaustion from him, his breath was even and perfectly normal like he was resting. He just stood there with his back to her facing the carnage he created. Elsa barely noticed a small key tossed over his shoulder and landing in her lap, she looked down at it for a moment, her mind hoping it was what she thought it was.

"It's the key to your shackles, you should free yourself and go."

The blonde barely heard him whisper as he still didn't face her to see if she heard him. Perhaps he didn't want to look at her while she was in such a state of undress but it was the voice in which he spoke that made her look up at him. His voice was resigned and sad, as if he regretted what just transpired. There was no hesitation in his actions and she could honestly say the display frightened her but she couldn't help the next words that came out of her mouth.

"W-what about you?"

Edward was quiet for a moment as he walked toward the barrel of water that was still in the room and began to wash his hands.

"Your concern for me is unnecessary, just leave and return to Arendelle."

Elsa had already released herself from her shackles and was happy to feel her magic at her beck and call again as she created an ice gown with a flick of her hand. She stood up to her full height and continued to stare at the back of her rescuer as he continued to scrub wash his hands in the water. Part of her now did fear the young man in front of her, someone capable of such brutality should be feared. However another part of her remembered how he sounded and with the way he aggressively washed his hands it seemed like he himself was shaken for what he did. That part of her made her take a few timid steps toward him and place a hand on his back which made him visibly flinch.

"I'm not leaving without you, Edward."

The young man took a deep breath before exhaling before turning around to face the blonde who couldn't help but retract her hand when she saw the blood splatter on his face. His blue eyes were hollow and empty as he could see that she had fear in her eyes as she looked at him, like he was a _monster._

"You should, I can see it in your eyes. You're afraid of me now, and you have every right to be, I'm a monster and someone you shouldn't be around."

Elsa watched him turn away from her again and as she dipped her head for a moment. He was right, she was afraid. He saved her yet she was afraid of _him. _That wasn't right, yes he may have done something frightening but he did it to protect her and she could see he regretted doing it. She also couldn't help but think of the time she spent with him, those few times when Kristoff would go into the castle to find Anna in the morning leaving the two of them to talk. He had so much in common with her and she finally felt she wasn't alone. Anna was always there but she never had something torment her from the inside that left her wanting isolation, she always wanted a connection where as Elsa wanted to remain hidden away. Edward understood that and wanted to be isolated, which she knew from experience wouldn't make the pain inside go away. She knew it wasn't her business if he wanted to be alone but she couldn't help desiring to get him to see that he didn't have to be the way Anna made her see. She wanted to see the light in his eyes whenever they'd discuss a book or just talk about mundane things instead of the closed off guarded look he usually had in his eyes.

Slowly, she raised her hand and touched his cheek that once again made him flinch, before turning his head back in her direction. She could feel the wet blood on her fingers but she didn't care as she met him eye to eye before speaking with a strong resolve.

"You aren't a monster. You came after me when I was taken by dangerous men, you snuck into a cave of bandits just to find me, and you came to my aid when I needed you most. I'm not going to leave without you, we're both getting out of here together."

As she talked her thumb moved against his face in a calming fashion that she could see affected him. He looked like he wanted to move out of her touch but he couldn't help closing his eyes and leaned into her hand. His hand reached up and gently encased hers as he began to caress her knuckles with his thumb. For a moment she could feel the warmth from him seep into her hand before running down her arm into her body. It was calming and nice to feel, her brain told her that they needed to get moving because someone might've heard the screaming from before but she couldn't bring herself to end the moment. Edward was in a similar predicament as his soul reminded him that he was in enemy territory and time was definitely not on their side. However he himself wouldn't end feeling her hand against his face, it was an intoxicating touch that erased his anger and brought him peace, actual peace of mind that he craves _so _much.

"Well isn't that cute."

The two were shaken out of their trance as they turned toward Záviš who was now beginning to pull the sword out of his chest with a little bit of effort. It finally came out free as he tossed it to the side and turned his head toward the two with a dangerous smile. Elsa put her hands out in front of her getting ready for a fight but Edward had put his hand on her arm and pushed it down. Záviš ignored this as he took a look at the young man before him and the carnage he created.

"I did not see you coming, you bursting in here completely took me by surprise. I gotta say that you are very impressive, I'm envious of your ferocity. It'll make it even more satisfying when I cut that head of yours off."

The young man didn't bat an eye as he put an arm around Elsa's shoulders and lead her to the door.

"Why don't you get up and try it?"

Elsa widened her eyes at the young man while Záviš raised an eyebrow before shrugging and decided to oblige him…

...only to find out he couldn't move his legs.

The man looked down to see the wound in his chest was still healing but he now realized he couldn't feel anything from his abdomen down to his feet. He looked back up at Edward who was now at the door with a knowing expression on his face.

"When I threw my sword at you, I made sure to pierce your spine and then I completely severed it when I kicked the sword in. I'm well aware of your regenerative abilities but I didn't expect you to be killed when I impaled you. I knew you'd come back to life and pull the sword out, what you didn't realize was that your spine was still severed since the sword blocked your ability to repair it. It might take you a few more moments to get back on your feet but a few moments is all I needed…"

It was then that Záviš realized there was a small black ball rolling under his chair, only when he heard the sound of the fuze burning did he look up and already see the door closing. His face scrunched in anger as he yelled at the top of his lungs before the fuze ran out.

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

Elsa heard the explosion behind the door and shuddered a bit but followed Edward as he urged her forward. As they were about to exit the tunnel the young man pushed the blonde against the wall while keeping a lookout.

"Elsa listen, outside this tunnel is the main cavern where all the bandits are, about ten minutes ago I planted a trap at their armory. When it goes off we are going to make a break for the exit as the bandits see what happened. As soon as we're outside I'm gonna lite the second bomb and close the entrance behind us. So do not stop for anything once the armory goes off."

The blonde nodded and the two waited for a few minutes until they felt the entire cave shake and heard yells from the bandits. They watched most of them run past them toward the armory and when Edward felt they had a clear enough path he grabbed Elsa's hand and took off. A few bandits noticed them running and began to give chase until a wall of ice cut them off. With their flanks covered by an ice wall, the two almost made it to the exit when a crossbow bolt struck Edward in the arm. The two turned around to see Záviš standing there with his eyes screaming bloody murder.

Elsa attempted to make an ice wall to cut his way off from them but he jumped over any attempts before they formed as he made a beeline for the two of them. Edward quickly grabbed the blonde's hand and took off toward the exit. He could feel the anger coming off Záviš in waves, the bloodthirsty wrath the man behind possessed was palpable. However they had a great lead on the man and was able to get to the exit just as he got to the end of the tunnel behind them. Edward quickly tossed the explosive behind him as he pushed Elsa onto the sleigh and looked back to see the cave entrance collapse. Elsa even decided to add a layer of ice over the sealed in entrance to buy more time for them to get away. The young man spurred the horses and the two were off into the night.

* * *

Anna, Kristoff, Olaf, and Lilian were all running through the courtyard as they passed up unconscious guards. Lilian said she felt better and would join them as they went to find Captain Stonewell. As they reached the front gates to the courtyard they saw Ahimoth was fighting two more guards and defeated them both with some quick punches to the temple. The four rushed up to him as he turned to face them with an upset expression on his face. Kristoff could easily guess why he looked like that but decided to ask anyway just for confirmation.

"They got away didn't they?"

Ahimoth took a deep breath and exhaled as he nodded. "Yeah I was right behind Hans when these two guys cut me off, that Greed guy was nowhere to be seen." The four weren't happy to hear that but couldn't do anything about it. Right now they needed to get the imposter guard situation under control, even though Greed said to order a retreat they needed to make sure no imposters stayed.

It didn't take long for the five to get to the barracks, the guards instantly saluted Princess Anna and opened the door for them. "Princess is there anything we can do for you today?" The redhead eyed the young guard with a bit of suspicion that actually made him nervous. After a moment of staring at him, Anna felt he was genuine and spoke in a hurried tone.

"Yes do you know where Captain Stonewell is?"

"I'm right here." Everyone turned around to see the older man with a very large frown on his face as well as a cigar in his mouth. He was dressed in his uniform and had his weapons on his belt. Anna was happy to see the man and rushed up to him and began to speak excitedly.

"Captain, I'm so happy to see you, we're in big trouble! The guards there are…"

"Imposters, I know."

"...imposters yeah they're in the castle and tried to get me…" She stopped when she realized that he already knew and raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Wait how did you know?"

The Captain took a puff out of his cigar before answering. "I check every post nightly to ensure everyone's doing their job, I'm missing six men as around the village and when I walked to the front entrance to Arendelle, there were men there I didn't recognize. They didn't even wear the damn uniform correctly, obviously I was about to ask them if they hadn't seen anything odd to see if they were just new recruits or imposters but when they let that runt Prince Hans through without any fuss I knew they didn't belong to my guard." The redhead watched him take a puff out of his cigar.

"So what do we do?"

The older man finished his smoke before carelessly flicking it away before turning to the young

guard with an angry expression.

"Private Hastings! Go to the armory and grab the emergency signal flares and bring them back here." He then pointed to the other guard who stood at attention. "Run inside and wake everyone up and get them ready, I want them down here in uniform in ten minutes." The other guard nodded and took off in the other direction. The Captain turned back to the group with a determined expression on his face.

"We'll call back the guards and get rid of all the imposters, the Queen isn't with you, is she secure in the castle?" Anna looked away for a moment at his question which made him turn beat red in anger.

"Princess. Where. Is. Queen. Elsa?"

"She's not in the castle. Hans said that she was already dealt with so but there's no body so I doubt she's dead." Stonewell turned to Ahimoth who had a neutral expression on his face. The intense look the older man had on his face would've intimidated any lesser man but for the Prince it was refreshing to see someone who could be overwhelming with just a look.

"Forgive me for my skepticism but I find quite odd that my guards had been infiltrated as well as our Queen kidnapped the day you arrive in Arendelle. Is there anyway you can prove that you didn't have a hand in this? If you can't and I find out you did then there will be dire consequences." Ahimoth barely looked threatened after the man's words. He himself couldn't blame the man, he would think the same if the roles were reversed in fact, if Lilian had been kidnapped the same day someone visited him, he'd probably have his hands around their throat in an instant.

"I honestly can't prove to you I'm not apart of this."

Lilian couldn't help but sigh in her hand as Kristoff and Anna exchanged looks as Ahimoth kept speaking.

"However IF I were to be apart of this then I wouldn't have done things this way. If it were me, I'd personally go after the Princess first. It's foolish to charge an Elemental with no strategy, however the fact she is missing means someone knows what they're doing. In Blackdust very few of us are actually taught how to fight an Elemental, and it's tedious teaching someone else how to do so since it requires real experience to learn how and not many Elementals are lining up to be practice dummies."

That got everyone's attention. There were actually soldiers who could fight someone like Elsa? The redhead's first instinct was to rule it out as being impossible but remembered that he himself said he had almost been killed by two plus his fiancee was an Elemental herself. How could she stay with someone who trained to fight people like her?

Anna looked over to Lilian who actually looked a bit uncomfortable with the conversation but chose to say nothing as her fiance kept speaking.

"That bumbling buffoon Hans couldn't possibly be the mastermind behind this, he's too shortsighted to plan this out. There was one man who looked like he could be a key player. He called himself Greed, he had tan skin and no hair and I can almost guarantee he has red eyes."

Anna remembered Hans calling that man Greed, she thought it was an odd name but with the way he spoke about not risking what he owns made her think that maybe his name had a reason behind it. She got a chill when she laid eyes on him and Ahimoth didn't seem to know him but Greed definitely knew the young man.

Captain Stonewell began to calm down as he absorbed all the information, his face was attentive he could see that Ahimoth met him head on expressing he had nothing to hide. This could either be a trick or the guy could just be telling the truth, the woman behind him seemed a bit uncomfortable ever since he started talking about Elementals. He filed away that tidbit of information for a later date but he kept observing the group. The Princess and her consort didn't seem to be nervous around the two foreigners so they weren't being held hostage or were being forced to remain calm. The ice master wouldn't stop staring at the Prince while being well within arms length of the Princess.

_It seems he doesn't trust this Prince either._

The Captain had actually taken a liking to the mountain man, they were both commoners so the high class they were generally around looked down on the two of them. Stonewell didn't care in the slightest what they thought, he could almost get away with anything he said simply because he was considered the most loyal soldier in Arendelle. Kristoff seemed to have some trouble with the comments yet the older man saw the harvester shrugs his shoulders and kept moving forward. The man was absolutely smitten with his Princess and wanted to protect her from anything and everything.

He remembered the blonde asking for lessons on weapons to protect himself, at first the lessons went slow but Kristoff hit any blocks with the determination of a mountain and he succeeded when he put in enough effort. He was also sharp in his own unique way, he thought outside the box and had good instincts, sometimes the older man wished he'd enlist. The sole fact that Kristoff hadn't taken his eyes off the Prince proved that there was something up with the man and he wouldn't let his guard down around him.

"How is he likely to be the leader?"

"Hans was completely subservient to the guy, he ran when he was told and Greed ordered all of his men to retreat. Plus he said that they already had the Queen and it was time to cut their losses. He also knew me, I don't know where but I do know that he's from Blackdust."

Captain Stonewell raised an eyebrow in surprise as Anna gasped and Kristoff's eyes narrowed. Ahimoth admitting that the guy who took Elsa was from Blackdust actually made him so much more suspicious but he kept talking.

"He mention Elysion, there are only a handful of people who know about that particular campaign. Most of them are dead, but for the few who are alive are all from Blackdust, if this guy knew about it then he was there."

The captain absorbed this information for a moment before coming with a question. "And what happened with Elysion?" Lilian eyes grew somber for a moment as Ahimoth took a deep breath and answered simply.

"It was a place where we found out that our lives meant nothing to our King and decided to do something about it. It's a long story and one I don't feel like discussing or reliving at the moment. Either way if Greed was in our military and had the balls to go after an Elemental then he knew exactly what he was doing. Something like this can't be pulled off in a single night, they'd have to prepare for his day for weeks to get the Queen out of her castle. Are there any groups in Arendelle who could've pulled this off?"

Stonewell mulled over all the information in his head for a moment considering how much he should trust the Prince. So far his analysis was spot on, it would've been smarter to go after the Princess versus the Queen. The redhead had no magic and she was very adventurous leaving her guards at any whim of hers, for a kidnapper she'd be ideal prey. However ever since the bandit attacks intensified she was forced to remain in Arendelle, watching as Bjorgman left to do his ice harvest.

The older man's eyes widened when he just remembered something. Kristoff was attacked by a group of bandits on one of his runs. From what he remembered the incident they attacked with a group of six and chased him quite a distance. Perhaps the bandits _were _aiming for the Princess just not physically. Fortunately Edward helped dissuade them. The young man was another thought in the older man's mind, since being in Arendelle, he kept an eye on him. So far he'd done nothing wrong, working hard at whatever he did and keeping to himself.

He was so incredibly docile in Arendelle that he couldn't see the young man capable of such carnage Stonewall thought he committed weeks ago. However, the handshake in the stables came back to mind, Edward completely overpowered his grip and was completely in the position to crush his hand if he wanted to. The young man was very strong that was obvious, such strength in someone of his size was odd plus with what the doctor of his numerous scars suggested many things. The captain felt he was hiding something but had no idea if it did pose a security risk.

The pessimist inside of him wondered if the bandits were in league with the young man and attacked Kristoff hoping to get Edward closer to the Queen.

He shot that idea down due to the fact that the young man was barely at the castle save the stables where he waited for Bjorgman. He also couldn't see the young man being in league with bandits who he attacked and killed. However that didn't mean he wasn't hiding anything and as long as he didn't pose a threat to Arendelle, Stonewell didn't care if his ass shot fire.

"We've been having bandit problems but they didn't seem organized enough to do this."

Before the Prince could speak Private Hastings rushed back in the room carrying a box of flares. The captain peered into the box and took a quick inventory of what was inside. There were seventeen stick like objects in the box, it would generally take three flares to signal that all guards return to Arendelle. The only problem is that they were in the mountains, that meant they had to send someone up the mountain to signal the guards.

He would do it himself if it wasn't for the fact that there were bandits masquerading as guards already here. He wanted the Princess in his sight as he examined every guard in Arendelle. After he could verify which guards were real he could send them out to signal all the guards to return. With luck, they could verify all the guards by morning, but that left one massive problem.

_What to do about Queen Elsa?_

He knew that she would want him to ensure Arendelle's safety first then hers but he couldn't just leave her in the bandits' hands. He remembered the first time he ever met the Queen, she was a tiny little thing that seemed to scare easy. He stared her down and made her squeak and hide behind her father, at first he thought there was no way this timid little girl could ever be Queen. Her father disagreed and said Elsa was smart and cunning for her age and would grow to be a wonderful Queen, she would just need someone to guide her.

The King asked he look after her should anything befall him and his wife, when the gates closed the King told him about her magic. His first thought was how dangerous she could be but then remembered she was only a child and had an equal opportunity to lead Arendelle to prosperity. So when the fatal storm took away his King and Queen, he took on the task of protecting Arendelle until Queen Elsa was ready. During the events of her coronation, he was put in a difficult position. His duty was to protect Arendelle even if it was from Elsa but he was a loyal friend to the King so he wanted to continue looking after her. Unfortunately he was useless, all he could do was organize the guards to help relieve them during the winter and he couldn't stop Hans's attempt to assassinate her.

_If it wasn't for Princess Anna, I would've failed my King. _

However thanks to the Princess the worst came to pass and the Queen returned. When she did, he swore to himself that he would never be useless to her again. When she met him after assuming her role as Queen he pledged his loyalty to her and worked with her to ensure Arendelle's safety and hers. To know that she could be kidnapped _right _under his nose made him beyond furious. The only thing that kept him from gathering his men and rushing up the mountain and tear it upside down searching for her was the promise he made her when they first met.

_Winter began to rear its head in Arendelle as the people bundled up and slowed their jobs to endure the cold winter. The guards of Arendelle however lived for the cold, Captain Stonewell ensured that with the multiple field exercises they'd go on. Some even said he was impervious to the cold due to him going on every exercise and endured it without a shiver. He was currently sitting in between exercises at the moment, going over some paperwork when a knock on his door interrupted his train of thought. _

"_Enter." _

_He looked up expecting one of his soldiers but was surprised to see the Queen herself in her traditional ice dress. He was out of his seat with a bow before she could even speak. "Your Majesty, how may I assist you?" _

_Elsa motioned for him to have a seat as she took one in front of his desk. "Greetings Captain, I was hoping to ask you something in full confidence that you will not let it leave this room." The large man raised an eyebrow before nodding his head wondering what she could possibly wish to keep secret. The young woman took a deep calming breath before she said what was on her mind. _

"_As you are aware, during my coronation I unleashed a winter in the middle of summer then fled to the North mountain leaving the people fend for themselves against my storm. As such my sister went out alone to bring me back while leaving a foreign Prince in charge of Arendelle who nearly succeeded in usurping the throne."_

_Elsa said those words with a straight face but her eyes were something else entirely, the older man could tell it killed her to say those words. Part of him hoped that she wouldn't go on to ask where was he during this time and blame him for the lack of security. Another part of him hoped she would so he could beg for her forgiveness. _

"_Luckily things turned out for the best, however there's one matter that all of this brought to my attention. Captain, did excellent looking after the people of Arendelle in my absence but they also let Anna leave alone unprotected. I know that she can be troublesome to keep up with but she shouldn't ever be on her own. When I was gone she was in charge of Arendelle, she is the Princess and with the Queen gone she is the reigning sovereign. I can't have her jumping head first into danger even if it's to save me, which brings me to why I've come here. Captain Stonewell, I want you to promise me, that if I am ever to be absent from Arendelle; you will see to Anna's and Arendelle protection ahead of my own." _

_The older man's eyes widened and he got to his feet and planned to argue against it but Elsa raised a single hand stopping him._

"_I know that your duty is to protect me, I also know that my father asked you to do the same. However, you are the Captain of the guard of Arendelle. You are bound by your position to protect them and Arendelle. I am not ordering you as Queen of Arendelle, I am begging you as a citizen of Arendelle who cares for her kingdom, please do not jeopardize my home over one woman. I know if it were Anna who was in the line of danger I would go out to protect her, on my own if need be. I know I can do that because you are here to protect my kingdom in my absence. The council would vehemently disagree with what I'm asking you, which is why I want this to stay between us. I don't even want Anna to know about this because she would argue even more, I want her to remain safe even if I must sacrifice myself to do so. Please Captain Stonewell of Arendelle will you promise me this?" _

_The large man slowly sat back into his chair and mulled over her words. She was right, Arendelle came first before anything else, his oath even said so. Her argument was compelling and honestly inspiring, when she returned and he pledged himself to her, he still had doubts she'd be a wonderful Queen. She had completely shattered his expectations, she worked harder than anyone he's met, the old King and Queen were amazing but their daughter quickly lived up to their ideals. She had improved almost every aspect of Arendelle in a few short months and had gone out of her way to connect with the people. He could say that many of his guards would die for her not out of duty but out of the loyalty she inspired in them. He himself would do the same in a heartbeat, but to now hear her willing to sacrifice herself to keep Arendelle safe, he couldn't help but be proud of her. _

_After hearing all of this he wanted to say no, that he would ensure their safety no matter what and do everything humanly possible to keep her from having to make that choice. It was on the tip of his tongue when he made the mistake of looking at her eyes and seeing the cold resolve the raged in those blue depths. He was a soldier, he was no stranger to war, things happened that you can't stop no matter how hard you tried. He may do everything in his power to protect them but someday it won't be enough, saying that they will never be in danger was childish. He could only mitigate the danger but it would always be there, Elsa knew that and decided to lessen the danger for her sister and Arendelle before herself. Denying such a request would be an insult to her resolve, it killed him to do it but he nodded then stood up and bowed._

"_You have my word my Queen, I will ensure the Princess and Arendelle's safety if we find ourselves in such dire times." _

His promise to her kept him grounded, with her gone, he would protect Arendelle and the Princess. He turned to Private Hastings and began giving orders. "When the other guards return I want you to take two of them to the clocktower and launch the flares. The rest of us will search Arendelle for all these imposters and confirm none of them remain in our ranks, we will then lockdown the village, no one gets in or out."

Anna was about to argue about Elsa but Stonewell turned to her with a fierce expression that stopped the redhead in her tracks.

"Not one word Princess Anna, Arendelle comes first before anything else, if the Queen was here she'd agree with me. You are to remain in my sight at all times, I don't care if I have to tie you to my back and carry you everywhere I go, I will do so without hesitation as we deal with his mess."

The older man turned to the sound of boots coming from the halls of the barracks to see guards lined up ready for their orders. He took a step toward them before looking at each of them with a critical expression, he stopped in front of one man before leaning in close. He examined his pale face with grey eyes his short brown hair stuck out from under his guard hat, he was quite young barely old enough to join. "Excuse me Private, do you mind telling me the whereabouts of Prince Hans?"

The young man looked confused for a moment as did everyone else. "I don't have the slightest idea sir." Stonewell had a blank expression his face before leaning back and turning around.

"You have no idea you say?" He then whirled around with his pistol pointing at the young man's face. He heard a gasp around the room but no one made a move fearing he might pull the trigger. Anna however, would not stand by as he threatened a young man who began to hyperventilate in fear.

"Captain that's enough, I'm ordering you to stand down!"

The older gentleman ignored her before raising his voice. "Men there are imposters within our midsts, they have already infiltrated the castle and kidnapped the Queen. Hell there might be some traitors as well who knows, all I do know is that these sons of bitches will _not _harm Arendelle! If that means I have to go through interrogating every single one of you to ensure you are who you say you and that you are loyal to Arendelle then I will. Since all you just woke up from bed, I can safely assume none of you are apart of this attack on our village, all except one of you who ran ahead from the gate. Someone among you is in league with the bandits, the same who let Hans waltz through the gates not even ten minutes ago. Private I think that man was you, have you anything to say in your defense?"

The young man was still hyperventilating however he did manage to open his eyes and try to remain standing tall as he spoke as loud as he can with fear in his voice. "C-c-captain S-sir, I would never b-betray my brothers in arm, Arendelle, o-or my Queen. Her Majesty fought to improve the lives of all of our citizens, s-she even got my little sister medical care. I-I will forever be in her dept, I am not a traitor and I will die for Arendelle if it ensures the people I love's s-safety!" The older man raised an eyebrow before pulling the flintlock mechanism back and hardened his eyes.

"Great speech."

The sound of the gunshot made everyone jump as the young man closed his eyes not wishing to see his end...only he didn't feel anything. He did hear the sound of the guy next to him screaming in pain, he opened his eyes to see the Captain pointing his pistol at the guard next to him's leg. "You didn't think I would see your face when you killed the guard manning the gate and let Hans through? Trust me when I say I wanted to kill you right then and there but it's more strategic to make you tell me all you know. You two get this maggot out of my sight, search him to see if he has anything of importance." The older man pointed at two guards who he had known for several years and they nodded their heads and carried out his orders trusting his judgement.

Stonewell turned back to the young man who looked to be seconds from being shot in the face, he put his pistol away before putting one hand on his shoulder. "What's your name Private?" The young man could barely control his breathing before he answered. "C-Cameron Klein sir." The older man clapped the young man on his shoulder.

"You're young, barely old enough to be a guard but you already have what it takes to be a true guardian of Arendelle. That's why I'm assigning you to protect Princess Anna. Its ok to be scared, but as long as it doesn't stop you from planting your feet and taking a stand then I pity the poor bastards who stand in your way."

The Captain then turned to address the rest of the men gathered. "That goes for all of you, tonight we face an enemy who has broken our trust of one another and have taken our Queen. Some of you may feel we need to rescue her first but you're wrong, we protect Arendelle _first _as our Queen wishes it. But make no mistake, we _will _sort out friend and foe and we _will_ secure our home. The instant we do, we will rain down an unholy amount of ass kicking that will send the message that _no one fucks with our QUEEN!" _

Cheers came from the men as they all brought up a salute to the Captain as they all yelled at the top of their lungs.

"**Sir yes sir!**"

* * *

Elsa and Edward had made it halfway down the mountain before finding a cave and decided to call it a night. As the young man led the horses in side, the Elsa waved her hands and made their tracks disappear before creating fakes ones that led in a different direction. She then sealed the cave entrance behind her before twinkling her fingers and dropping snow on the ice wall concealing it.

The cave became pitch black until Edward lit a match in a lantern that was in the sleigh they took. He laid it down before sitting against a cave wall and putting his head back before letting out a heavy sigh. Elsa could see the day had taken a toll on him, she eyed his arm where the crossbow bolt was still in his flesh but he didn't seem to mind. He hadn't said a word since they escaped the bandit hideout, his eyes grew far away as he drove the sleigh. She wanted to know what was on his mind but felt that she shouldn't pry. She slowly took a seat next to him and folded her hands on top of her legs as she looked into the lantern trying to sort out her own thoughts.

"...Did they do it?"

Elsa turned to see Edward with his eyes still closed but there was no mistake he was talking to her. She was about to ask what he meant but she stopped when he saw the hands, he was squeezing them so tightly that she was surprised he didn't break his fingers. It then occurred to her what he meant by "did they do it?" For a moment she was quiet, thinking back to when those men took off her clothes. Her anger at Zavis disappointed and transformed into fear when she saw them begin to take their pants off. She felt violated that they touched her where no other human being as ever touched her save Gerda when she bathe her as a child.

When she felt prominent stiff object against her jewel she couldn't hold it in any longer. She begged; she begged them, she begged Zavis, she begged her parents, she begged God, she begged anyone to not let them take what could never be taken back. As if someone had heard her cries the door was kicked in and her savior burst in the room with fury in his eyes. Immense relief flooded her as she felt the bandits let go of her, she then felt immense shame for being seen so vulnerable, finally there was shocked fear at the actions her savior took. It still chilled her to the bone to think back to what he did, regardless however she was incredibly grateful to the young man.

"No they didn't...if you were a second later then they would've but you arrived just in time." Edward took a deep breath then exhaled as he extended his fingers and tried to relax. Unknownest to Elsa, he kept his eyes closed so she wouldn't see the red irises blossom as he thought back to those beasts laying a hand on the blonde. Part of him wanted to go back and kill every bandit in that cave but the part of him that mainly ruled his mind, said getting Elsa back to Arendelle was more important.

It was in the middle of the night and bandits were probably roaming the mountain, plus he knew Elsa must've been tired. She had a long day and needed to rest, she'd never admit it but he could tell by the way she breathes that she was close to dropping. Edward couldn't believe where he was right now, he traveled to Arendelle to simply get on a ship and return to his kingdom but ended up staying and getting to know the royals of Arendelle.

He honestly began to enjoy them, Princess Anna was like the little sister he never had. She brought back the fun memories he used to have with his brother before everything tore them apart. Kristoff was like Ahimoth in his opinion. They were both direct and comforting in their own unique way, plus they both had Princesses they loved more than anything.

_Then there was Elsa. _

If there were such things as angels she would be one. Her beauty would attract anyone to her but it was her intelligence and kindness that had the young man antsy when he waited in the stables for Kristoff hoping he'd see her. Part of him wondered what this feeling was, that arose when around the blonde. The other part knew exactly what it was and choked that feeling down, his path involved no one else but him, he wouldn't let Arendelle suffer just for knowing him. The only problem was that _both _sides of him didn't want to leave her.

Her eyes conveyed the exact same look his did and he wanted to know what else was in those depths. However he was just a soldier and she was a Queen there'd be no reason for them to see each other again after this mess. When he told himself that he kept himself away from her but she still found a way to always be there. They didn't have to say much, her words to him were enough for a day's worth of talking. She'd always talk to him as a person as she tried to find out why he wanted to be alone, surely he could find something to take his mind off his past and start new here.

She asked him several times about a position in Arendelle but now he found himself in the exact same position as she wanted him in. He managed to rescue both her as well as track down the bandit's hideout. Such a set of skills would be put to good use as a guard but as always he declined and kept his eye on leaving. But now being able to sit here alone with her was almost too much to bear as he kept his head back and refused to show his eyes.

When Edward didn't say anything Elsa thought he needed a moment so she said nothing as she eyed the bolt in his arm. When she reached over to touch his arm he pulled it out of her reach while turning his back to her.

"You shouldn't touch a monster your Majesty."

There it was again, his belief that he was a monster reared its ugly head again, but this time Elsa wasn't having it. With no small amount of force she grabbed his arm and pulled him back to face her and wasn't surprised to see hollow blue eyes again.

"Now look here, you aren't a monster, a monster wouldn't go so far for me. You've done more for me than most people have in my entire lifetime, I will not allow you to call yourself a monster. Yes what you did frightened me but you know what else frightened me, the fact that I was tortured and almost raped…" A few tears began to cascade down her cheeks as she continued speaking but her eyes were strong and pierce right through forcing the light to come back to his.

"...I was so scared and powerless, I was _completely _at their mercy. I wanted to be the woman my parents wanted me to be and I tried so hard to show I wasn't afraid but when I felt them touch me my resolve broke. I was prepared to beg them to not do it, knowing they would've done it anyway, if they continued to have their way with me I'd have no doubt Arendelle would legally be Hans's right now. _You _stopped that, you came when I needed you most and I can't ever forget that. I don't care what you've done in the past, all I know is you saved me and my kingdom and I honestly can't thank you enough…"

Throughout her speech, more tears began to leak out of her eyes until she finally broke down and started to cry as she let go of his arm. Seeing her cry like this for some reason didn't make him furious, he felt sad that she had been hurt so much in such a little time. He had arrived before things could have been really bad but she had almost gone through her worst nightmare. When she realized that the horrible event wouldn't happen she regained hope and it was thanks to him. Before he could talk himself out of it, Edward had put an arm around Elsa and pulled her into his side where she wrapped her arms around his torso and cried and cried knowing that once again she'd been saved by someone who meant a lot to her.

**Hey guys new chapter hope ya'll like it, it was a bit rushed honestly as well as not my proudest works in the middle of the chapter due to my poor writing. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and drop a review while staying tuned for the next chapter.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey guys real quick shout out to **_**kpop1392as**_ **for dropping some reviews, thanks man those meant a lot especially when I was out in the middle of a field with no sleep and wearing body armor. Anyway enjoy the chapter. **

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Elsa had passed out soon after she calmed down enough to stop crying, she had her head propped up on his lap with the bandit coat he had on, covering her like a blanket. She had originally tried sleeping next to him but ended up falling whenever she got into a deep sleep then waking up. So he offered that she sleep propped against him, he normally wouldn't have suggested it but with what she's been through he felt he should at least give her the option of receiving comfort.

She had asked what he would do which he responded that he didn't move when he slept so he had no problem sleeping against a wall. So with an embarrassed small smile that sent a tingle down his spine, she agreed and laid her head on his shoulder. It didn't take long for some reason she had instantly fell asleep next to him. The logical part of him reasoned that she was just that tired but a treacherous thought entered his head.

_Perhaps she feels safe when you're around. _

He quickly squashed that thought. No matter what she or anyone else said, he was still a monster through and through the bodies he accumulated would all pay to see him thrown into hell. He truly appreciated that she tried to convince him he wasn't a monster but there was just too much pain to honestly think otherwise. As he was thinking he began to notice that the woman on his shoulder had began to shift a bit and fall forward. Before she could hit the ground once again, Edward had caught her then gently laid her down in his lap. after a while he had taken the bandit jacket he had on and put it over her shoulders leaving him in a sleeveless white shirt he wore under his blacksmith apron.

as she slept he couldn't find any so he elected to come up with a plan for tomorrow. when he brought her to the castle Ahimoth will most likely be there, he couldn't risk seeing the Prince so somehow he had to send Elsa away. he wouldn't do it before he knew he was safe but as soon as he could he would disappear. he supposed he could just drop her off at the gate but there was no guarantee the guards posted there were on the up and up.

hopefully he could meet up with Anna or Kristoff and they could take her off his hands. Worst case scenario he sees Ahimoth and just disappear from his sight line and hope the Prince thinks he hallucinate.

however before he crossed that bridge he had to come down the mountain while avoiding the bandits. with them moving tomorrow they'll be easy to spot, but so would him and Elsa. another downside was that he had no more weapons, he threw his sword away and lost his pouch of ammunition when Zavis shot that bolt into his arm.

_Speaking of which…_

Edward pulled the bolt out of arm and examined it closely. He was looking for any type of poison on the bolt, not for himself, but for Elsa. If Zavis laced his arrows with poison then he'd have to be even more careful. When he was satisfied that he found none, he snapped the bolt and tossed it away before watching the wound begin to bleed.

He gazed down at the woman in his lap before looking back up and flexing his arm. veins began to crawl up his forearm and his eyes bled red before the slight crackling of red lightning erupted in his arm. after a moment his arm was healed and his veins disappeared as well as his red eye color.

Edward knew what Zavis was, he was the same kind of monster he was except with some differences. The red eyes were what gave him away, unlike himself the man probably had those eyes all the time. Maybe _he _improved the process to make it permanent versus Edward having to turn it off and on. The only thing that the young man knew was that Zavis could create objects in his hands. He didn't know if there were conditions or otherwise since seeing him kill those guards last night but he knew they were real enough to kill someone.

From what Edward had seen from him he was more a hunter versus a fighter. His moments were fast but the young man would bet Ahimoth would be able to catch him. His fighting style revolves around speed and surprise with his arsenal of weapons. Fighting him would be difficult if Edward didn't see Zavis coming, but if he did then it'd be a much fairer fight assuming he didn't have any other tricks.

Zavis didn't know him so he couldn't have been made like him for very long. Perhaps a few years probably after King Alrick took the throne. That meant _he _must still be alive. Edward hoped he'd died when they last saw each other but to be honest he'd didn't expect the bastard to die.

_Even if I put a bullet through his skull. _

Elsa shifted in his lap and broke him out of his trance. she actually looked peaceful given everything that happened. whenever he thought about her; he was torn. Part of him wanted to get as far away from her as possible while the other part of him wanted to get closer.

The part of him that wanted to get closer was drawn to her kindness and intelligence. Her seemingly timid smile that hid a cunning mind that would always look out for her people. The few brief times they talked were easily the highlight of his day. He knew that they hadn't known each other long but somehow he found himself drawn to her. Earlier tonight when he thought she might be in trouble the voice in his soul quieted and all of his thoughts were clear and focused on her.

the monster inside him even responded to him without fuss.

That was also a reason why he wanted to be as far away from her as possible. He didn't want anyone especially her around the monster. there was already so much blood on his hands that everytime he spilled more he could feel his soul getting heavier. even killing those two bandits haunted him, Edward wanted to snap their necks for a quick and painless death. the monster had other plans and made their deaths a painful and worse he did it in front of _her. _

When she recoiled at the sight of his bloodied face he burned her expression in his mind. there was genuine fear in her eyes it was smaller than he thought but it was still there. He needed to leave before he lost himself and the monster decided to let itself lose on the people of Arendelle. He supposed he could sneak aboard Ahimoth's ship but that left him stranded on his ship for two days.

forty eight hours on a ship with the guy he wanted to avoid most, that was not ideal.

Edward kept hashing out ideas all night and well into the morning. When Elsa stirred once again but this time opened her eyes she looked up to see him staring down at her. It took her a moment to realize that she was in his lap that she sat up quickly with a blush on her face and squeaked a good morning.

He couldn't help but smile at her and respond with his own good morning. She quickly noticed that he had a sleeveless shirt that clinged to his body like a second skin. The toned arms that bore a large amount of scars sent butterflies in her stomach as she offered him the jacket he used to cover her.

"Leave it, I'm tired of being dressed like them." The woman nodded before twirling her fingers and unsealing the cave entrance letting the sunlight flow inside. Edward went outside first and took a quick look around, seeing that there were no footprints or tracks of any kind he concluded that no one had come this way.

Arendelle was another three hours away with the sleigh, it was bright out so guards would be patrolling. Even with the massive amount of bandits they saw the Arendelle guard was much larger so they couldn't impersonate all of them. Hopefully they could get to the checkpoint and continue on from there.

"Do you think Anna and Kristoff are alright?" Edward looked back to see Elsa looking far off with a worried expression.

"I'm sure they'll be fine, Kristoff wouldn't let anything happen to Anna and your sister is one tough girl if I believe half the stories Kristoff shared." That got a chuckle from the blonde as she nodded her head. Her expression then turned pensive, she looked his way for a moment before whispering.

"This attack happened the same night Prince Ahimoth came to Arendelle...do you think he planned this?" That made Edward raise an eyebrow. The blonde was asking if the Prince of where he came from had ulterior motives. Most loyal subjects would immediately defend their sovereign.

He turned to her and could see she was watching him, not in skepticism or watching for any tells that he might be lying. She was genuinely curious, so curious he couldn't help but ask.

"You trust me to tell the truth about my Prince?" Elsa's answer was out of her mouth without a second thought.

"Yes you've done more than enough to earn my trust." The way she answered took him aback, she really trusted him. He could tell from the sincere look in her eyes so he couldn't help but be truthful in return.

"I highly doubt he'd use bandits to harm Arendelle, he's a soldier. He'd rather be fighting on the front lines instead of sneaking around and using underhanded methods to achieve his goals. I'm sure he came here for diplomatic reasons or maybe to satisfy his curiosity, his ship didn't have one soldier on it, just traders."

"Perhaps someone is pulling strings behind his back."

Edward laughed which made Elsa raise a beautifully sculpted eyebrow. "Well if that's the case, they better hope Ahimoth doesn't find out because the guy may be a bit childish but he holds grudges."

"You sound like you know him."

The young man suddenly grew somber. he could've lied but he felt that doing so would taint the comfortable presence they shared right now. 'We used to be best friends but the coup tore us apart."

Elsa was about to ask him to elaborate about the coup but the horses made their own way out of the cave on their own. Edward walked over to them and kept them from leaving without them. He got next to the sleigh and held out a hand for her. The blonde took it and he helped her into her seat before getting in the driver's seat and spurring the horses forward.

As the young man drove he kept his eyes and ears on the lookout for any bandits but so far all was quiet. in the snow he could see many footprints heading toward Arendelle, the bandits could've been launching a large scale attack on the village. Elsa didn't seem to notice them so the young man decided to keep his mouth shut for the time being, hoping that he was wrong.

After two hours of riding, Elsa decided to break the silence between them. "You mentioned a coup, did King Alrick lead it?" Edward kept his eyes in front but his mind began to reminisce about the past right before the coup when they were in Elysion. The day before _that night_.

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_The 26th special division brigade, commonly known as "The Mystic Guard" was sent to Elysion by King Rakat Veera because of reports of an Elemental killing their troops. The 26th were special soldiers trained to specifically kill magical entities. They were fast, efficient, and above all deadly. They were only three hundred strong but that didn't stop them from overcoming their enemies. _

_A younger version of Edward that had pale skin and black hair was walking with his katana sheathed in his hand. His uniform was a black frock coat that extended past his hips and to his wrists. His thick black pants were tucked into his black boots that ended below his shin. The soldiers of the 26th had the same uniform but different armor types specific to that person. Some had chest plates as well as shoulder pads while others had one arm covered in armor. Edward's version was a spiked glove on his left hand and shoulder pad on the same arm. On his waist was a belt to secure his sheath but the young man generally had his weapon in his hand. The final piece of his uniform was the hood with a cloth to cover his face he had drawn up to cover his head._

_The other soldiers had their weapons strapped to their hips or back that varied from swords, axes, daggers, and spears. His weapon was something special, Commander Alrick had given it to him in his last campaign. They were in a faraway kingdom that had an alchemist who specialized in creating metal beasts. There were only a handful but one could take out twenty of their soldiers. While the Mystic Guard engaged them, he managed to sneak into the alchemist's lab and kill him halting all the beasts. Apparently the alchemist had devised a way to divide his soul into each beast so they would come to alive and with his death they all died. _

_The King was interested in the theory and had his chief alchemist look into the possibility of utilizing the theory. While they were gathering all their research notes, Alrick had found a small stash of the metal that the beasts were made of. The beasts' skin was dense yet they were able to move quickly and cut through standard weapons with their claws. The metal that covered their body wasn't like anything they'd seen before, such metal would be a great boost to their military. Unfortunately the design blueprints were destroyed in the battle and the beasts evaporated after their death. _

_There wasn't much just enough for one weapon so he gifted it to Edward for killing the alchemist. The young man had taken the metal to a blacksmith he apprenticed under in his spare time and two of them were able to forge his katana. The blacksmith insisted it have a name but Edward was already gone before the old man could press the issue. The blade was pure silver with the blunt edge having a serrated looking pattern. When he used it he found that he could cut through other metals after a few strikes and it was light enough to wield deftly in one hand. The hilt was wrapped in a white cloth with the guard being a grey rectangle that had grey strings tied at the base of the sheathe. The sheathe itself was made from some thick skinned animals that made it hard and durable, he could even use it against a regular sword and there wouldn't be any deep nicks in it. He kept the katana on his person at all times, it was proof of his achievements and was a stepping stone to achieving his ultimate goal._

_Finding the monster that killed his mother. _

_The night his village was attacked and his mother hid herself and him under the floorboards played over and over in his nightmares. He remembered being too afraid to breathe and looking up at those red eyes. For a moment the three stared one another down until his mother's head was sliced off her shoulders. The red eyes raised his blade and brought it down aiming to end his life. However it stopped a few inches from his head when a shrill whistle filled the air. The monster looked up and took off out of his house, leaving him with his mother's body. The shock of being alive was short lived when he looked over to see his mother's head, her fierce expression was gone. _

_Looking back, he didn't know if he imagined it or not but her eyes were happy with tears leaking out of them. She looked relieved that her son was spared and he watched her mouth twitch before she whispered. _

"_Live...a-and remember...I-I'll always love you…" _

_Her eyes closed and she didn't move, he wanted to get up and shake her head to wake up but her body was far too heavy for him to get out from under. He squirmed trying to get out from under her until he passed out from exhaustion. _

_When he woke up he was in a bed with is brother sitting in a chair next to him. His brother's expression was somber as if he knew what had happened. Before Edward could speak, his father walked in. His glasses concealing his eyes completely as he looked down on his son with no emotion. _

_After that day, his father began their training until they were fit enough to join the military. A dozen times they faced deaths and a dozen times they learned what kind of people they were. _

_His brother was very prideful, firmly believing that no one was worthy of defeating him. This belief coupled with his immense skill made him arrogant but it also granted him a higher position in the military. He became the lieutenant of the "King's Spearhead" the main invasion force of their entire military. _

_Edward became more vengeful, all previous traces of happiness were wiped from his expression. He chose to be a soldier in the Mystic Guard due to the appearance of the monster that killed his mother. He remembered it resembled a man with white hair and tan skin but his red eyes made him seem less human. His arms and legs were claws instead of actual human hands and he had black dust trailing behind him when he moved. That sort of man couldn't have been human so he joined the only division that focused on magical entities hoping they'd one day track him down. _

_During his time in the Mystic Guard, Edward didn't attempt to make any friends. He'd rather focus on training than form useless bonds, that however did not stop the lieutenant. Ahimoth had fought him the day he joined, their battle was close but ended up his victory. When they fought the lieutenant used no weapons except his hands and feet angering Edward because he thought his opponent wasn't taking him seriously. It was later he found out that Ahimoth was abysmal at using weapons, he knew basic forms but had no proficiency for any weapon. So he focused all of his time and energy perfecting his own unique style of fighting barehanded. It was odd to watch him spar but when he actually got down to business his fighting style was brutal, the metal gauntlets and boots made his palm strikes and kicks devastating. Coupled with the fact he was very fast and agile enough to do flips and move his body in almost any way he wished made him second to only the commander. _

_At first the two didn't get along but after fighting against each other so many times and fighting back to back they formed a friendship. Ahimoth was more carefree and brought out some happy traits from the teen that he thought was long gone after his mother's death. During campaigns they were a solid team and Edward earned his trust and that of the commander many times. _

_This one however would be different from the others, so very different indeed. _

_The commander had ordered they split up to cover more ground and had Ahimoth stay back much to the man's chargain. That left Edward hiking with nineteen other soldiers to a small town in the northeast quadrant of Elysion. The night concealed their movements and kept them from being discovered until they surrounded the small town. The plan was for three teams of two to sneak into town and search every house for the Elemental fitting the description they gathered. _

_Elderly Male. Skinny build. Black hair. Brown eyes. Pale skin with a scar across his forehead. _

_It was late, no one was out in town, so the teams had to sneak into every house to only confirm the target. The king had made an unusual request to capture this Elemental and bring him back to Blackdust. Commander Alrick argued it'd be very difficult to capture one due to his abilities over fire but the King's chief alchemist had expressed they needed him alive for experimentation. To help the effort, the alchemist had fashioned three cuffs made to hamper an Elemental's abilities. They would not break unless exposed to extreme conditions and were completely impervious to and Elemental's magic. The Commander had kept two pairs on his person while giving his lieutenant one. When the teams found the Elemental they would signal the rest of the force and they would all converge on his location and capture him. _

_Edward was partnered with a skinny man he did not bother to learn his name but knew he carried twin daggers. The two silently crept through each house ensuring the occupants were asleep. His partner had the skills to pick a lock to keep from waking anyone in the house while Edward shadowed him to watch his six. They went from house to house expecting some type of militia but only finding simple farmers. When they were briefed about the Elemental killing their troops, they were told the Elemental was supporting Elysion soldiers and ambushed their troops. If the Elemental was here then he should be in a military compound of some sort with guards posted for his security, yet there wasn't a single weapon anywhere. _

_The two finally arrived at the last house that was out in the middle of a wheat field. The house was one story but was wide, from the outside it looked able to hold three rooms. There was a chimney with no smoke coming out of the top as well as small shed built on the side of the house. As the two approached the house, Edward grabbed his partner and halted the two of them when he noticed something in the wheat field. _

_There were burn marks on various parts of the house._

_They were not large but consistent, going from the frame of the house to the path leading out to the wheat field. The two soldiers crept carefully and had a hand on their weapons as they entered the house. The house was sparse except it had bookshelves lining the walls. The living room had a table with a few open books on it as well as small medicine bottles.. Edward leaned over and read the pages finding them containing information about the Seven Deadly Sins._

_He couldn't help but think that him and his brother perfectly represented two of them. Wrath and Pride. _

_He was about to read more when a fire suddenly erupted around him, trapping him in a cage of flames. He whirled around expecting to see the entire house ablaze only seeing an elderly man with his palm facing him. He fit the description perfectly and given his eyes were burning as intensely as the flames around him that remained suspended in mid air to avoid burning anything meant he was the Elemental. _

"_It's quite rude to barge into someone's home."_

_Edward didn't answer as he scanned the room for his partner only to realize he wasn't in the room. He didn't hear the crackle of fire before now so it was possible his partner had not been discovered by the man yet. _

"_I am growing impatient, who are you and why have you trespassed into my home?" _

_The teen fingered his katana for a moment debating he was fast enough to attack the man and exit the house. They were three meters away from one another and if it wasn't for the cage of flames around him, he was sure he could make the distance before the man could attack. Unfortunately he couldn't manage a maneuver is such a small space so right now he was completely at the mercy of the Elemental in front of him. _

"_My name is of little consequence, I am a soldier of the Blackdust military and have been tasked with finding and capturing the Elemental in Elysion who has attacked and killed our troops." Edward relaxed before reaching under the cage of flames and pulling out a chair. He gestured towards it asking for permission to sit down, the man was weary but nodded as he modified the flames to allow him to sit but kept him contained. _

"_Well you've come to the wrong place, I haven't left my farm in the last two months and never attacked anyone." Edward was about to disagree when the man started to violently cough into his arm. The teen looked on the table to the bottles and guessed that they were for him. The hacking noises were honestly painful to watch, the flames actually weakened as he coughed and gave the teen an opening to escape. _

_Edward quickly got out of his chair while throwing it with his free hand watching it catch ablaze but remained solid enough to hit the man. He toppled over under the weight of the chair catching him in the side and could only manage to put the flames out before he felt a foot on his chest and and sword point against his throat. The point pushed into his throat with a clear message._

_Any attempt to use magic and his throat would be slit. _

"_I find that hard to believe, we were given your description and given you are an Elemental in Elysion makes me quite certain you're the one we've been looking for." The corner of the man's mouth had a line of blood going down it as well as skin being quite pale. Upon closer examination he could see the man was actually shaking, the brave front he put on before was only a bluff. _

"_Please, I haven't attacked anyone you can ask the people in town, I haven't left this house. I have a disease that causes me to cough blood, I've been bedridden for weeks, my medication is on the table there." Edward considered believing him, when he announced that he was a Blackdust soldier the old man's eyes didn't widen or narrow in a way that meant familiarity. In fact there was confusion in his eyes why a soldier would come here. Plus there was the fact that he got the drop on the teen, as much as he hated to admit it, if they were enemies, he would've been burned to death. However the old man allowed him to sit and only asked why he trespassed into his house. There was one thing that didn't add up. _

_If he was bedridden as he claimed then who worked the field and brought medicine to the old man?_

_A shriek came from the other side of the house as Edward watched the old man's eyes widen in fear. "Lilian!" He forgot the blade at his throat and blasted a pulse of fire at the teen's chest that knocked him off his feet. Edward rolled to his feet preparing to fight watched as the old man began coughing again and used the table as support to get up and make his way toward the shriek ignoring the teen completely. He didn't get far as the door opened and Edward's partner stepped into the room holding a young girl's mouth shut with one of his daggers at her throat. _

_The older man froze as he raised his hands in a surrendering fashion only for the soldier to press the blade deeper into her throat causing him to freeze. Edward could see the panic in his eyes as he gazed at the girl held hostage, there was genuine fear in his eyes. There didn't seem to be any plan formulating in his mind, all he could do was attempt to calm his panic. _

"_Please...don't hurt her, please don't hurt my daughter. I didn't attack anyone I swear, we're simply farmers...please don't hurt her."_

"_Put your face on the ground and your hands over your neck, the slightest movement I deem unnecessary and your daughter will die."_

_The soldier turned to Edward and nodded toward him telling him to go outside and signal their troops. The teen looked at the scene for a moment being slightly uncomfortable as he watched tears leak from the girl's eyes as she watched her dad slowly get to the ground using the table to support him before putting his face down with his hands over his neck. As he turned to leave he could hear the man beginning to beg. _

"_Please...please don't hurt her. She's all I have left, please don't take her away from me…"_

_Edward walked outside and pulled a signal gun he was given prior to the mission and fired it watching the green flare fly into the night sky. It didn't take long for the other eighteen soldiers to converge on the house, the teen led three of them inside to see the old man still on his knees. Two of the soldiers wasted no time in grabbing his arms and roughly striking the man's skull causing him to go limp in their arms. This made the girl cry under the hand that gripped her mouth as she watched them take her father away. _

_Edward expected his partner to let her go and for them to leave the house when he turned to the other soldier in the room. "Give me some rope, we're taking her with us." The soldier shrugged as he produced some rope from around his belt and the two of them proceeded to bind her hands then with a line of rope began to tug her toward the door. As they passed the table she attempted to grab the medicine only to jerked harshly away. _

"_Please, my father needs that medicine he's sick and they help…" She was already forced through the doorway as she threw a pleading expression towards him. He was glad he had donned the cloth to cover his face so she couldn't see the troubled expression on his face. He had been to many places and fought many battles for his young age, blood and bodies never bothered ever since his mother's death. However, seeing the fear in that girl's eyes bothered him, while it seemed they had found the Elemental they were looking for he expected a battle hardened sorcerer. _

_What he got was an old man who looked ready to keel over if he tried to run. _

_Seeing that and a teen girl that was younger than him crying from seeing her father treated so roughly by them bothered him. With a demoralizing thought, it reminded him of when he looked up at the monster that killed his mother. That panic inducing fear he had trained so hard to forget was in her brown eyes. _

_My monster was a man with red eyes and a sword, hers is men with black coats and cloths covering their faces. _

_Edward looked over to the pill bottle and after a moment of weighing his values of being a soldier and being human, he picked up the bottle, placed it in his pocket and left the house. _

_They dragged the Elemental and his daughter to Commander Alrick who raised an eyebrow at the girl. He turned to Edward after giving one of the soldiers a pair of cuffs for the Elemental before gesturing to the girl. _

"_Who is she?" _

_Before the teen could answer, Edward's partner had walked up and answered for him. _

"_She's his daughter sir. I thought it'd be efficient to bring her along to force his cooperation." _

_The Commander scowled at the thought, he had done many things that he wasn't proud of while following orders but he never harmed innocents. The girl looked scared out of her wits as she was pulled by one of his soldiers, her eyes met the slumped form of her father and she tried to run over to him. She was pulled back but she kept trying to get to her father which began to irritate her captor. The soldier raised a hand and was about to bring it down on her hand when a thick hand caught his wrist. Turning his head to see who stopped him, the soldier was met with the disapproving eyes of the lieutenant. _

_The surprise at seeing him made the soldier let go of the rope and the girl ran up to her father who was still being supported by two soldiers. She quickly checked him over with her bound hands and was distraught at finding a lump beginning to form on his head. She turned to Commander Alrick who was easily distinguishable from the other soldiers due to his armor being the most ornate. His entire left arm was covered in plated armor with his commander rank showing proudly on his left chest plate. _

"_Please, you're making a mistake. My father never attacked anyone, we're only farmers we've done nothing wrong." _

_Alrick prided himself on being able to keep his face completely neutral so no one could see what was going on in his head. From the look of the old man, he barely seemed capable of being able to put up a decent fight. He was terribly thin as well as sickly pale, however appearances can be deceiving and he matched the description. _

"_I'm afraid that your father matches the description and he's an Elemental, our troops were all burned to a crisp unless your father's magic can't produce such a result than he's our man. I do apologize for your forceful experience however, you can return to your village. If your father really isn't the man we seek then we will send him back but not until we are absolutely sure." The Commander nodded to Ahimoth who walked over and with a swipe of his clawed gauntlets the ropes binding her were cut away. He stood up to his full height and offered her a hand before speaking._

"_I also apologize for your experience, please allow me to escort you back to your home." Lilian looked at his clothed face then back to his covered hand before hesitantly taking it and squeaked when his large hand closed around it and pulled her to her feet. After being picked up she let go of his hand before clenching her hands and attempted to speak without stuttering. _

"_I want to stay with my father." _

_Ahimoth frowned when he heard that, Alrick kept his face still but his eyes expressed his displeasure. Bringing anyone besides the target was unnecessary, especially when said target would be delivered to the chief alchemist who had a habit of killing his specimen during his experimentation. It would be easier if she just stayed and moved on from her father who didn't seem to have long in the world anyway. _

_However it __**was **__her father._

_The lieutenant glanced at the Commander for a moment putting himself in her shoes. He knew the old man was likely going to be killed but if someone had taken his father he'd want to be with him every step of the way. _

_Before Alrick could deny her request, Ahimoth beat him to it. _

"_Sir, it is her father, we can at least let her tag along to help care for him. I will take responsibility for her and ensure nothing jeopardizes the mission."_

_The Commander looked at his lieutenant for a moment before shrugging and ordered his forces to return to Blackdust. As the soldiers began buzzing around picking up camp and loading it onto carriages, Ahimoth kept Lilian close as he coordinated the efforts. When a soldier had to speak with the lieutenant pulling his attention away from watching his charge for a moment, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see the soldier with the sword from her house holding out a bottle of pills to her. Gratitude shown in her eyes as she took it and was about to thank him profusely when she saw he was already walking away to assist in packing up. _

_Elysion wasn't too far away from Blackdust, only three days of travel; two on land and one at sea. They already sent an eagle to their King messages could be sent in half a already spent one day traveling and decided to stop for the night in an abandoned town. _

_That's when everything changed. _

_It was a regular night, a couple of guards were out patrolling while the rest slept. Ahimoth had offered his cot to Lilian as he stayed outside his tent to give her privacy. She initially wanted to sleep with her father but was turned down, however Ahimoth allowed her to check up on his and make sure he was alright and fed then led her away. Her father had his legs shackled but had a cot to sleep on with four soldiers watching him at any given time. Commander Alrick had asked for confirmation if the old man was really the Elemental they were looking for. When he received the message and read it his widened at what it said._

'_Regardless if it's the right one or not, you will bring the Elemental here.' _

_The bottom was signed by the King's alchemist not the actual King himself. It was no secret he and the alchemist liked each other, in fact on many occasions the cold and twisted persona of the man made the Commander want to strangle him. The King however favored the man so he learned to tolerate his presence. They weren't in the same chain of command him being in military matters while the alchemist was in scientific ones. So to have him ordered that they bring an Elemental that might actually be innocent, pissed him off like no tomorrow. _

_He had written letters to other commanders in the Elysion region to verify the identity of the Elemental and his abilities so he could be sure he had the right man. When he received the order from his King to apprehend the Elemental he was briefed by the alchemist on who to look for, he's never actually seen the reports. If they contained information that pointed to another, then he would let the old man go, he wasn't into kidnapping innocents. _

_Edward couldn't sleep so he decided to leave his tent and look up at the full moon in the clear night sky. It was calming to gaze at the large rock in the sky, letting his mind wander far away from the single minded reality of his vengeful life. The respite didn't last long however, as the sky began to fill with dark clouds that had lightning inside them. Edward thought it was odd for the weather to change so suddenly and thought maybe he should return to his tent before it rained. _

_It was too late as it starts raining, but rain didn't fall from the sky. _

_Lightning bolts began to descend on their camp, striking tents and catching them ablaze. All at once soldiers started running out their tents attempting to seek some type of cover only to be struck by lightning. Edward ran as fast as he could until he found a house with partially collapsed roof and dived in, barely missing a thunderbolt. When he looked outside saw his comrades attempting to get in buildings for cover. He spotted Ahimoth running with Lilian before a bolt of lightning struck right in front of him and threw him off his feet and into a building. The girl ran after him to check on him, putting a roof over both their heads. _

_Edward watched the Commander order his troops to take cover in the buildings while personally grabbing the old man and carrying him into a building over his shoulder. A few soldiers were able to heed his command but most were all struck by lightning and burnt to a crisp. After a few short minutes their three hundred strong men got turned into some thirty odd men. The fire raged as the tents burnt to the ground and with it the bodies of their comrades. As Edward gazed into the destruction he could see a silhouette walking through the smoke and fire. _

_It was a man dressed in a white jacket caked with dirt and tattered brown pants with no shoes. On his wrists and ankles were broken shackles that clinked with every move he made. His hair was brown with dark skin and electric purple eyes. His hands sparked with lightning as he surveyed the destroyed campsite searching for something. Edward stayed hidden as he took in the man and could see him being the Elemental they were looking for. His eyes were filled with rage as he found a surviving soldier and proceeded to electrocute the man until he was cremated. _

_It seems the old man was telling the truth, they did have the wrong guy. However if that was true why did the reports describe the old man down to the scar on his face. The two Elementals looked nothing alike and they could've been more prepared if they knew he could strike them down with lightning. _

_The teen pushed away his thoughts as he focused on the situation, going out to face the man was suicide, he'd fry them the moment he could see them. Fortunately he didn't seem to notice some soldiers run into the buildings, that meant they could surprise him. He wished he had projectiles of some sort to make up the distance but was caught off guard when he saw two small balls fly toward the Elemental. The man turned to see them heading toward him and before he could stop them with lightning they went off in his face blocking his vision with thick smoke. Six soldiers bolted out of houses and rushed into the smoke with their weapons drawn prepared to detain the Elemental._

"_Mystic Guard! Rally here!" Edward heard the Commander speaking from three houses down from where he was. Noticing the smokescreen was still thick enough to block visibility, the teen rushed out of his house as did other soldiers and ran to the rally point. When they all arrived, the Commander was looking out the window with the old man crouched down next to him as he observed the smoke. _

_The young man took a quick count of the room and could only see twenty two soldiers inside. He expected to see Ahimoth with the girl but was disappointed to see neither. His first initial reaction was to run back into the house he saw his lieutenant get blown into but six more screams stopped him as six bodies flew out of the smoke covered in blast marks. The smoke dissipated revealing the man with a few cuts on his skin but remain standing. _

"_I know there are more of you out there! How does it feel to be the ones being hunted?! You monsters took __**EVERYTHING **__from me and now I'm going to kill all of you for it! Every last one of you will be turned to ash, the same way my family did when you burned down my home and took me away from them!" The man began to throwing lightning bolts at random houses lightning them ablaze hoping to flush out more soldiers. They were hiding in one of the farther houses so they had time before a lightning bolt came their way. Unfortunately the house only had one exit, the front door. They would easily reveal their position to the murderous man and invite more casualties if they chose to use another smoke bomb or tried to make a run for it. _

_Alrick gazed out the window going over his options, he already had a couple plans that were likely to succeed but would guarantee more casualties. Normally he would avoid plans that were considered suicide but in this desperate situation, if they didn't succeed in either killing the man or sealing him in cuff they'd all die. He found it very unfortunate that none of them had a firearm with them, perhaps one of the patrolling soldiers had one but they were all killed in the initial storm. He thought of his son and hoped he was still alive hiding somewhere waiting for the right time to strike but that seemed unlikely. Shaking his head to focus on the task at hand he faced the soldier awaiting his command. _

"_Alright listen, are only advantage is he doesn't know how many of us there are and where we are. During the storm there were only single lightning bolts, meaning he could only launch them one at at time with line of sight, probably from his palms. Rushing him head on his suicide, so we need to be smart about this, the burning tents can provide excellent concealment to get to his position. However if he sees one of us leave this house he will focus his attacks on this house. That's why we need a distraction, one of you need to run out and lead his line of sight away from this house so we can get in position." _

_His soldiers did not move as they listened to his plan, their faces were covered but he could tell they all knew what he was insinuating. The person who would be a distraction was probably going to die giving them time to get into position. The Commander didn't order anyone, he wanted a volunteer. As battle hardened as they all were, none of them were suicidal, so the hesistance they had was understandable. _

_Edward didn't want to go, he still had a goal he needed to fulfill. Throwing his life away was not an option, however if they didn't do something then his life would still be thrown away. He was fast, faster than most of the other soldiers and the nearest house was thirty meters away, he could make that in a few seconds. While he did that they could advance and get the drop on the Elemental with no problem. The teen took a deep breath and prepared to raise his hand to volunteer for the mission…_

_Until a gunshot pierced the air and a wail of pain came from the Elemental. _

_Looking outside they saw the man was clutching his leg as soldiers with the standard uniform of the King's Spearhead rushed into battle. Their armor was black and covered their upper torso with their symbol on the front. The bottom of the armor was covered in a silver cloth that reached all the way down to their boots. _

_The Elemental's eyes widened in fear as he quickly forgot the Mystic Guard and focused his magic to combat the siege of reinforcements. He fired lightning bolt after lightning bolt that burnt soldiers and made them hunker behind tower shields for cover. As they did this, Edward saw a glint in the distance and was happy to see Ahimoth back on his feet with a pair of magic sealing cuffs. They made eye contact and ran out of cover at the same time then made a dead sprint toward the immobile enemy. _

_The Elemental turned to see Ahimoth rushing his way and held an arm out to throw a bolt of lightning at the charging man. Right before he released it the sound of something twirling through the wind filled his ears right before a sword was thrown in to his arm. Seeing Edward in the after pose of his throw, the Elemental forgot all about Ahimoth and raised his other hand to strike him with a lightning bolt. _

_The teen watched the lightning gather in his palm and fought to remain calm, he trusted Ahimoth to get there if he gave him a chance. Edward knew his friend wouldn't let him down, and he had a relieved smile when the lieutenant lunged with a fierce punch that knocked the Elemental to the ground. His friend wasted no time in binding his hands behind his back with the cuffs while throwing his friend a wave. Edward returned the gesture and caught his katana when it was thrown back to him. _

_Ahimoth roughly brought the man up to his feet as all the soldiers came out of cover to meet in the middle of the charred battlefield. The King's Spearhead vastly outnumbered the Mystic Guard due to the latter taking so many casualties but the two groups stood apart from one another as if they had reservations about being close to one another. It wasn't because there was some rivalry between the two groups, it was because of the animosity between their commanders. Commander Alrick stood at the front of his remaining soldiers and addressed the main army with a loud voice._

"_Where's your commanding officer?"_

"_I'm right here, Mystic."_

_Alrick frowned at the name as an older gentleman walked up to him. His jet black armor was polished as it covered him from his neck down. A heavy chest plate decorated with gold engravings gleamed in the moonlight as they connected to the large shoulder pads. His gauntlets were heavy duty as well with spikes on the knuckles, his legs were covered with thick armor plating that covered the thick boots on his feet. Under the armor where the joints were exposed peeked out white cloth with a spear design going through their kingdom's insignia. The long cloth that covered in the gap in between his legs in the front did the same as well as the wider cloth that covered both his legs in the back. In his right hand was large battle mace that had a red handle before the black iron shaft that led to the ornate mace that looked like an eight pointed star. _

_His face had a vertical scar that went through his right eye leaving his grey left one open. He was squared jaw and had no facial hair but the tense wrinkles and greying hair showed his age. Commander Asger the Crusher was in charge on the King's Spearhead and was currently the second strongest warrior in their kingdom. He was a crass and vicious man that cared only for the thrill of battle, concepts of mercy and decency were foreign to him. _

_In his mind, if one could pick up a weapon then one could kill with it and should be killed by their superior. _

_This mindset guided his actions in every invasion, many have lost their lives to his large mace whether they be soldiers or townsfolk seeking to protect their homes. Alrick was by far the closest to him in terms of skill when it came to their military but never challenged the man knowing that it would become a fight to the death just to prove who was stronger. Asger attempted many times to instigate a fight between them but soon lost interest when Alrick explained that if one of them were to die, it would hurt their military might. _

_To Asger it was an excuse of a coward knowing that he would be killed if he accepted the challenge. _

_To Alrick it was a product of loyalty to protect his kingdom. _

_The two never got along and did everything possible to avoid one another, unless it was absolutely necessary. The invasion of Elysion happened to be one of those times. _

"_Asger, why are your troops here? I was under the impression that you were marching toward the capitol." The large man scoffed as he fixed the Elemental with a glare. _

"_I was until his Majesty ordered all of our troops to decease hostilities and return to the kingdom with the Elemental that wiped out our troops." Alrick turned to the Elemental who glared at Asger with righteous anger before turning back to him. _

"_I assume this is the one correct?" The large man nodded and watched Alrick turn to the remainder of his soldiers while producing a key out of a pouch. He walked to the old man who was still bound by the cuffs and was about to release him when a large hand caught his wrist. The Mystic turned to the Crusher with a glare and attempted to shake off the hand but growled when it stayed firm. _

"_What do you think you're doing?"_

"_Releasing an innocent man. I was ordered to capture the Elemental who attacked our troops, we did, now I'm releasing the Elemental we accused falsely. Now remove your hand." When he tugged and the hand stayed firm, Alrick turned before stepping up so they were now face to face. The tension in the air grew thick as the soldiers on both sides took a step back knowing if they came to blows they didn't want to get in the way. _

"_The King has ordered that both of them be taken to Blackdust. He received intelligence that there was another Elemental in the area and taking him would likely flush out the first Elemental who escaped capture a week ago." _

_Alrick eyes flashed in anger as he roughly pulled his hand out of Asger's grip and fought very hard to keep his composure. If what the Crusher said was true, his men were essentially used as bait for a dangerous enemy while fetching an innocent old man. He felt betrayed by his King and wanted to hit something, fighting the Asger never felt so appealing but he reminded himself the man was too much an idiot to come up with something like this. If it had been the Crusher asking for the old man, he would've told him to shove it and let the old man go but since it was his King he was honorbound to follow his orders. _

_When he turned back to the old man who looked like the last of his hope was crushed he also caught the eyes of his daughter that had tears in her eyes before turning away. Ahimoth looked between the two of them before turning to his father, the cloth on his face hiding his face but his body posture and silence spoke volumes. _

_This wasn't right, good men died tonight._

_Alrick turned back to the old man and undid his bonds before speaking to him. "Your presence has been requested by the King, we will escort you to see him and return you and your daughter home when our business in concluded. During that time you will be under my protection, I will assign my lieutenant to see to all of your needs." The gesture was small, but the gratitude in not being treated like a prisoner shine the older man's eyes as he lowered his head whispering a thank you before walking over and hugging his daughter. _

_Asger narrowed his eyes and took a step toward them but was immediately caught off by Alrick who fiercely stared into his eyes. A staredown insured for a moment before the Crusher scoffed and turned back toward his troops ordering them to prepare to move out. Alrick did the same and the two groups made their way back to Blackdust. _

_As Edward traveled he knew that tonight was the start of something. Whether it would blow over depended entirely on what happened when they returned home and saw the King. _

_He looked back to see Ahimoth supporting the old man as they walked while stealing a few glances at Lilian. Perhaps his friend had taken an interest to the young girl, times were dangerous and reaching an older age to begin a relationship was difficult for a soldier. Despite them being hardened soldiers, they were still teens. _

"_I guess hormones are easier to fight when you devote your life to killing another."_

_Edward hoped his friend found happiness, because unbeknownst to him, his future was not a happy one. _

* * *

That was six years ago, he had seen war but one within his own kingdom was a different beast altogether. People they fought with turning on one another was horrible, the rampant violence and death. All started by those two Elementals from Elysion. To this day he still didn't know the old man's name. He knew the lightning Elemental's though, he was the one who delivered him to the chief alchemist.

To his father.

It didn't feel right handing him over to his father but orders were orders. The next time he saw the Elemental there was a white sheet over his body and his father had ordered his body be disposed of. Edward looked at the report that was sitting on a table and read the top line.

_Subject 62: Maurice Raith. Result: Insignificant. _

King Alrick made a call that changed everything, whether he was in the right or wrong was up to God. What he did though was definitely wrong and now he's paying for that mistake. When he returned to Blackdust then and only then would his debt be paid, until then though all he could do was keep moving forward.

"Edward?" The young man jumped at his name and turned to the blonde woman next to him. It seemed he became completely engrossed in his memories that he didn't answer her question.

"Yes, King Alrick led the coup that sparked a civil war that lasted five years."

Elsa absorbed the information as she recalled his far away expression when she first asked her question. There wasn't any pain in his face but she could tell that he was reliving some distant memories that still seem fresh in his mind. She wanted to ask what he was thinking about but before she could he pulled hard on the reins forcing them to stop. The blonde looked ahead to see the checkpoint to Arendelle, she expected to see the bodies of the guards who tried to save her last night but was dismayed to see even more littering the ground.

Sitting on a makeshift bench of stacked bodies was Zavis who was absentmindedly fiddling with his crossbow. Elsa couldn't help the shiver that went up her spine as he continued to fiddle with his weapon and not even looking up at them.

"You know, I didn't expect much from a guy like you, throwing a sword with enough force to impale me and sever my spine was quite impressive. The bomb too was quite effective, I haven't had to regenerate so much in a while. I was really pissed you managed to get the drop on me, I searched high and low for you after digging my way out of that cave hoping to tear you into tiny bits. Then Greed decided to find me and calm me down, after he explained they were calling off our plan for Arendelle and that we needed to pack up before the rest of the guard returned. All of our men had already left the city just as all the guards came rushing down the mountain."

Zavis finished messing with his crossbow and rose off his perch, nonchalantly strolling around keeping his eye on Edward. The waves of wrath he felt from the man was gone, he could only see the predatory look in his eyes as he appraised his prey. His eyes did flicker to Elsa for a moment but ultimately returned to him as he continued to speak.

"That gave me very little time to come back down here to get what I want. Despite your rather clever attempts to throw off your trail I was able to find that you hadn't made it down the mountain. Instead of looking for you on the mountain, I decided to go to a place you're guaranteed to pass through. Unfortunately there were more guards here that I was forced to contend with. Ordinarily I'd want to take the Elemental with me but there's no time for that, so I'm giving you a once in a lifetime chance. Get out of the carriage and I'll let her pass, refuse and you both die."

Elsa was stunned he would propose something like this and expected she actually agree to this. After everything he put her through, he thought she'd leave her rescuer to his mercy? She was about to decline his proposal when Edward beat her to it.

"Deal."

He was already out of the carriage and walked away from it while keeping a healthy distance away from the man. Elsa not believing what he did, jumped out as well and ran up to him ready to rant at him for agreeing. She didn't get the chance as he chopped her neck at the same place as Zavis did the night before. She crumpled into his arms, unconscious. He knew that she wouldn't have agreed but he hoped that if he made it seem like he was sure that she would trust his judgment and go.

He carried her body to the sleigh and slapped their butts and watched them ride down toward Arendelle. He hoped that an actual guard would find her, there was no smoke in the village so there didn't seem to be a large bandit attack he predicted. Those footprints must've been the rest of the guards returning to Arendelle. That made it easier to accept the deal, knowing she was on her way to safety calmed him but he prepared himself for the coming battle.

Zavis slung his crossbow over his shoulder before holding out a hand and gathered some black dust in his palm.

"Get ready."

* * *

**Hey guys hope you all enjoyed the super long chapter, 10k didn't know I had it in me. I don't know if this will be the new average chapter length I needed to tell a long story in one chapter. Hope you guys stay tuned for the next chapter, drop a review :D.**


	14. Chapter 14

Getting all the guards to return from the mountain took the majority of the night to do so with even more time in validating they were actually guards. Even with the Captain having a detailed roster as well individual reports for each guard, it took from the middle of the night to the early morning to get close to finishing. During this time, Princess Anna, Kristoff, and the two visiting royals stayed in his sight at all times.

He kept Ahimoth in his sight the most during the night. The Prince had fallen uncharactisically silent when he started sorting out the guards, turning his gaze in the direction of the fjord and looking far out. The Captain knew in that direction was his kingdom. Stonewell wondered from time to time what he could possibly be thinking about but focused on the task at hand instead. Princess Anna mercilessly hounded Lilian asking her about something while Bjorgman stayed close and also kept an eye on the Prince.

It wasn't until early in the morning a disturbance came up from the front gate to the village. Two horses pulling a sleigh ran through the town square before being halted by some guards. Captain Stonewell ordered everyone be cautious and step away from the sleigh while two of his guards checked the inside. When the two approached and checked the front seat they couldn't help but shout their discovery in shock.

"Queen Elsa?!"

Anna couldn't help breaking away from Lilian as well as charging through the wall of guards to see for herself if her sister was in the sleigh. Stonewell quickly rushed after her hoping he'd beat her there and stop her in case the Queen was not among the living anymore, but failed as Anna reached the sleigh.

Gently laid sideways on the front seat was her sister, her hair was flowing down her back with no trace of makeup on her face. Her ice dress was different, the long cape and thin material was gone and replaced with a more functional dress that allowed more movement. Anna for a moment feared the worst and gathered her sister in her arms hoping to hear her breathing. It was quiet but she could feel her sister's chest rise and fall as well as hear her quiet breaths against her ear. Sheer joy exploded in her heart as she started to shake her sister hoping she would wake up.

"Elsa? Come on wake up, you're home now…"

Despite her attempts, the platinum blonde remained unmoving, that set off alarm bells in the redhead's mind as she doubled her attempts.

"Elsa this isn't funny, wake up. We were so worried about you when Hans said they had you now please wake up!" As Anna began shaking her sister, the Captain put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down. She looked at him with tears beginning to form in her eyes as he looked down with a soft calming expression.

"Princess, it's likely she's unconscious, so she should be ok but to be safe I believe we should bring her to the castle infirmary." Anna nodded and backed away as the man picked up her sister as a husband would his bride and turned to head toward the castle. When they arrived, Kai and Gerda were the first to greet them, their expressions of worry were easy to see on their faces but at seeing Elsa they couldn't hide their relief.

The Captain quickly carried the woman to the infirmary where doctor Steward instantly cleared a space for her. He quickly gestured everyone to get out while he examined her for injuries, Anna wanted to refuse but Kristoff put his hand on her shoulder and was able to tug her out of the room. Fifteen minutes later the door opened and the doctor walked up to the Captain to speak with him but Anna got to him first.

"Is she ok, she's not in danger or anything right?"

The older man turned to the Princess with a slight smile. "You can rest assured your highness, she's not in any danger. There are some bruises on her wrist probably from some type of shackles as well as one on her neck but for the most part she seems fine." The collective sighs of relief filled the room at the news but at the back of the group the Prince seemed to be considering something.

"Where on the neck did you say the bruise was?" Everyone turned to him with an eyebrow raised but nethertheless the man answered.

"Toward the middle of the neck just under the jawline."

"Around the carotid artery?"

The doctor narrowed his eyes at the young man, it wasn't common knowledge to know something like that.

"Yes, do you have some medical history?"

The Prince lightly chuckled before answering. "No, I just know quite a few ways to disable my opponent. Since you don't seem to worried I guess she's in no danger of no blood to the brain." The doctor nodded at his explanation but still held the man in suspicion, as did the Captain and Kristoff.

As they were all standing there, a guard ran down the hallway with a hurried expression. Upon reaching the group he quickly saluted his superior before speaking.

"Sir, we've just finished confirming every guard in Arendelle, there are no longer any imposters among our personnel. There is however, a situation at the checkpoint outside the village. The scouts from the main gate reported they saw the carriage carrying Queen Elsa pass the checkpoint she was accompanied by none of the guards manning the checkpoint. When we used a telescope to see where they were, we could see bodies littering the ground. Among the bodies were two men engaged in battle. We sent guards to secure them both but they were completely slaughtered, with your permission, we can mobilize more men."

Before the Captain could answer, Ahimoth began walking away which caught his attention. "Where do you think you're going?" The young man didn't halt in his stride as he replied over his shoulder.

"To the front gate."

Lilian couldn't help but sigh in exasperation as she bowed her head towards the older man. "Sir please forgive his lack of manners. Before anything else, he's a soldier, sitting around while others were fighting is not possible for him. I hoped with his new position he'd learn to leave things to others but he is stubborn in his old habits."

Stonewell looked down at the woman, from what he gathered, she was the voice of reason and grace when it was the two of them. He honestly didn't trust either of them, but she was more likely to earn his given how honest she seemed. When he was verifying guards, Princess Anna had given him a recap of what had happened in the castle, including that the Prince saved her and Lilian was an Elemental. When he learned that she also had magic, the familiar thought that she could be a danger entered his mind but she had saved Bjorgman and the Princess so he gave her the benefit of the doubt.

He turned back to the guard that reported to him. "Send four squads to secure the two men, I will join shortly after finishing here. Also…" He pulled the man in closer and spoke in a whisper so that Lilian wouldn't hear. "...have two guards tail the Prince and make sure they keep their distance." The guard nodded and took off to relay his instructions.

As he ran past, Kristoff couldn't help but look in the direction Ahimoth went. The way out of the castle was in the opposite direction of where he went, the direction he took led back to the guest wing. Something was off about the guy, the way Edward talked made him seem like someone nice to have around. It was just so odd all of this happened the _night _he got here and he had an Elemental with him the entire time made it far fetched to be coincidental. He wished he could talk to Edward and maybe get some more insight on the guy but he had to go off into the night to warn the Captain.

_Wait a second…_

Stonewell said he found out there were imposters by checking the guards' posts, not from Edward warning him. If he never warned the Captain then where did he go after they escaped Hans's ambush? The mountain sincerely hoped that his friend wasn't attacked by more bandits, even though he could take care of himself, anything could happen.

_Maybe he's the one that orchestrated Elsa's kidnapping._

Kristoff violently shook that thought out of his head. Edward did more than enough to prove he wasn't working with the bandits, he got Hans to confess to his whole plan in front of him and gave him the chance to rescue the royal sisters. Despite the complications, both were now back safe and sound. Edward may have admitted to some bad things but he the person he was now wouldn't do something like this. The ice harvester believed in him and that was more than enough reason for him to clear the guy of suspicion.

The blonde turned to Anna and wrapped her in a large hug surprising her. "Stay with the Captain alright, I'll be back real soon." Before the redhead could say anything he kissed her forehead then ran down the hall after the Prince. Walter watched the display and couldn't help but smile at the mountain man. He was sure the late King and Queen expected their second daughter to be smitten with a well groomed Prince, instead they got a rough ice harvester. However he knew they both would love to know that their daughter was with someone who cared for safety enough to put himself on the line to protect her and her home by keeping an eye on the suspicious Prince.

_When this is over, I need to take him out for a drink. _

Kristoff made it to the guest wing just in time to see the Prince walk out his room. He was messing with some clawed silver gauntlets that completely encased his hands and forearms. His dress shoes from earlier were switched out with silver boots that went up to his knees. If the mountain man was honest, they looked quite horrifying to be struck by with the small spikes that extended from the knuckles as well as each of his toes having their own talon on his feet.

The large man casually wiggled his fingers and toes creating a small screeching sound as he turned to the awestruck ice harvester. Kristoff managed to close his mouth before clearing his throat to speak.

"I thought you said you were going to the front gate."

"I am, I just needed to pick these up."

"What are they?"

"A gift from Lilian's father."

* * *

It turns out Zavis was more of a fighter than Edward gave him credit.

Crossbow bolts rained down from the sky forcing him to kick off the ground to dodge them. A few of them reached him which forced him to swipe them away with the sword he picked up from one of the fallen guards' bodies. After Elsa was sent to Arendelle, Zavis created an explosive which he hurled at the young man. Luckily he was able to dodge but the explosion created a brief smokescreen that let his opponent disappear from sight and launch bolts at him from a distance.

At first all the young man could do was dodge as he scanned for the hunter's location, it wasn't until more guards came that the situation changed. Before he could warn them, another explosive bolt hit the ground between them and created another smoke screen. Edward could hear the sounds of blades meeting flesh as Zavis zoomed by and killed them. The young man managed to avoid his attacks due to having much faster reflexes. He was even able to grab a sword and perfectly time an attack that should've connected with his opponent.

Only for three swords that appeared from black dust materialize in mid air forming a shield that blocked his attack. That left him open for a counter attack from the hunter who rushed forward with a spear that barely scratched his side as he rolled away. Zavis quickly dissolved the swords and spear before pointing his crossbow and started launching another volley. Edward quickly back tracked avoiding the arrows and using the trees for cover hoping to conceal himself. Unfortunately he found that every time he sat still for three seconds, another barrage of bolts would assault the position he was just in.

The young man knew his body could keep with the assault but sooner or later he would tire. Even with his eyes red and his muscles expanded, he couldn't touch the hunter. He needed a plan and he needed it now.

He dodged another volley before throwing his sword in the direction it came from only for it to embed itself into a tree. Zavis appeared on a branch with his crossbow on his shoulder. "Things seem a bit difficult this time around isn't it, well that's what happens when you don't take your opponent by surprise. Still its impressive you haven't been injured yet and as fun as this is i'm running out of time. Perhaps that means I need to change up tactics."

That's when Zavis placed his crossbow on his back before jumping down the tree standing ten meters away from his opponent. Edward couldn't help but widen his eyes, why was he discarding his advantage of being out of his range? His question was answered when two swords appeared in the man's hands and he got into a battle stance with them. The young man eyed his opponent for any gaps in his defense and so far couldn't see any, walking over to another corpse he picked up his sword before getting in his own stance. He almost wished he had his katana, while they were both characterized as swords, his original weapon provided certain edges that complimented his style of fighting. For now Edward hoped his skill overall would give him an edge.

"Let's begin.."

Edward happily took the hunter's words and charged swinging his sword in an obvious overhead swing to see what his enemy had up his sleeve. The man put one of his swords up to block but when they clashed, he felt the strength behind the swing that forced him to put his other sword under his first one to stop the attack. Edward quickly dropped to a knee before lashing his foot out and kicking out the back of Zavis's knees forcing the hunter to his knees as well. The hunter's swords lowered in surprise at the attack and couldn't stop the blade coming for his throat. Just before contact, however, three swords materialized out of black dust and blocked the incoming attack.

Edward kept his eyes focused as he noticed that one of the swords in Zavis's hand had disappeared as the new ones appeared. Before he could theorize about the matter, the hunter put both hands on the sword in his hand and swung with a mighty cry. Since he was still on his knees with Edward's leg keeping them pinned his attack had little reach. The young man jumped back _just _out of the swords length and waited for it to pass by him so he could counterattack…

Only for the sword to suddenly change into a wooden handle that caught him in the side.

Pain exploded from the area but Edward managed to keep himself upright as he charged again preparing another attack. He watched his opponent pull the handle toward him to most likely defend from the impending attack. He heard the sound of flesh being cut before he felt it, a blade came from behind his back through his side and out the front. Edward disengaged his attack as he clutched his side before rolling away to avoid being open for another attack. When he got far enough away, he turned to his opponent to see him back on his feet with a large scythe in his hand.

Zavis turned to face him before lifting his weapon with one arm and slashed it in front of him. Edward was able to see the attack coming this time, black dust formed at the base of his hand before enveloping the scythe and turning it into a long chain that made up the distance between them. Still holding his side, the young man sidestepped the attack watching the blade at the end sink into the ground.

The hunter didn't seem very pleased his second attack missed but still had a smile on his face as he looked at the blood beginning to seep from his opponent's side. With a wound like that, he would be slower so his dodging would be less effective thus ending his tiring ability to avoid most attacks. Zavis changed the chain blade back into a sword as he generated some dust in his other hand preparing for an attack he had planned.

The pain in Edward's side was distracting and he longed for it to stop but did no such thing. Among his travels he had learned many things about his body and the monster inside of him. While it was true he could now heal wounds extraordinarily fast and strengthen his body beyond human limits there were drawbacks. Doing either took stamina from him, stamina he needed to move his body. Another drawback was that he couldn't maintain his strengthened state and heal at the same time. If he chose to heal his side now, then his senses would become dull as well as his movements becoming sluggish. That would only result in him obtaining more wounds, maybe even 'fetal' ones. By fatal he didn't mean the head or heart, he meant wounds he received if he ran out of stamina. If he were killed while he was in a state he could not maintain his regenerative or strengthening abilities then he would likely stay dead. Fortunately he hadn't died recently and was well rested, while the wound was serious to normal people, for him it was just painful. He needed to preserve as much stamina as possible.

If the same rules applied to him as they applied to his opponent, then he had an advantage. Zavis had been killed three times in the last day and he was abusing his abilities, sooner or later the fatigue would catch up with him. Edward then thought the way his opponent used his abilities, he had only conjured two weapons at once at all times except the one time he aimed for his neck. The sword in his hand got traded in for three to ensure that the attack didn't decapitate him. It was possible he was also trying to preserve stamina and he knew that coming back from death expended quite a bit of it.

That gave Edward an idea.

Releasing his side and ignoring the pain, the young man put more effort in strengthening his body and senses as he prepared for his opponent's next attack. Zavis charged with his sword and this time went with an obvious overextended thrust aimed at Edward's heart. The young man saw the attack coming and sidestepped putting himself in a prime position to counterattack. He could hear the sound of dust swirling behind him as he ducked to avoid the spear appearing where his head was a moment ago. If Zavis was surprise he hid it well as he grabbed his sword with both hands again and changed it into a large two handed cleaver. Hunter spun hoping to cut the man in two but was surprised to see the young man flip over the blade before swinging for his head again.

Zavis watched the sword approach his throat as he thought of his next move. The large cleaver in his hand took a large amount of stamina to make and maintain, at his current state he needed to dissolve a weapon to create a shield of some sort to protect his neck. The spear came to mind but the weapon was small and barely took up stamina like the cleaver did. So he decided to discard the blade in his hand as he materialized two swords to block the attack. The swords held in midair as concentrated on ensuring they were able to withstand the strength his opponent had. He began to materialize a third sword when he felt a blade being stabbed through his heart.

Widening his eyes he turned his head to see that the spear he created was in his opponent's off hand. For a moment his world went dark as he was sure all of his weapons disappeared as he hit the ground. Normally he would play dead to surprise his enemies but he knew that his opponent had saw his revival trick so he decided to accelerate his healing by putting more effort into it. His eyes snapped open the moment he hit the ground and he tried to roll away from another attack only for his left forearm to be stabbed with a sword and pinned in place.

Edward smiled when his plan worked, he knew it was unlikely he would land a blow from his own weapon with his opponent being able to create his own to block his attacks. That's when he decided he needed to catch him off guard with one of his own.

When he first sidestepped the thrust he knew some kind of defense would appear to counter his move. He expected swords to form a shield but his heightened sense of hearing detected dust forming behind him and he dodged accordingly. When he saw the spear he grinned as he waited for Zavis's counterattack. The large cleaver actually caught him off guard, with the way and direction he swung it, the spear would've been snapped in half. Kicking the spear up and flipping over the blade made his side burn with pain but he was rewarded when he attacked pretending to aim for his opponent's neck while he grabbed the spear with his off hand then hiding it behind his back so Zavis wouldn't see.

He strengthened his arm so one sword wouldn't be enough to block his attack and prepared the spear. If the hunter decided to dissolve the spear he was sure that a small calibre weapon would appear given the amount of black dust as well as strain he saw in the hunter's face as he made the cleaver. If he dissolved the cleaver, then he'd be able to form a shield as well as create another weapon in his hands. When the cleaver dissolved and he could see the hunter prepare to attack again he made his move and pierced his heart. The shock on his face was rewarding but not as rewarding as watching all of his weapons dissolve into dust. He did revive himself faster than last time but Edward had his sword ready to pin the man down, now he was at a disadvantage.

The gaping hole in his heart was still mending but when the young man looked beyond the red lightning he saw something glow. From what he could see was a small red stone that glowed but began to grow slightly dimmer with each spark. Edward didn't know what is was but he knew about it, he had one in his own body. It was like a core for him that supplied his unnatural abilities, the closest thing he had to a weakness. When he first broke down into despair and tried ending his life he attempted to remove the stone from his body hoping it'd kill him.

The attempt made the monster inside quite angry.

When he removed it, his body spasmed and writhed as it tore itself apart from the inside out. He remembered feeling every cell in his body disintegrating completely and a moment later he felt them painfully stitch themselves together. His body reformed where the stone was when he threw it away. The monster inside then tried _very _hard to come out, his soul burned nonstop and he screamed and screamed all throughout the night. It was morning when the monster stopped but it made it's point clear.

_Touch the stone again, and the burning won't stop until I come out. _

Edward refrained from attempting to kill himself after that incident, not from fear of the pain but of the fear of him giving into the monster.

If removing his core caused him so much pain a definitely qualified as a death, then the same should go for Zavis. The young man quickly shoved his hand into the hole and grasped the stone and pulled despite the weak struggles from his opponent. The sound of flesh tearing filled the air as he worked the stone out of the net of flesh attached to it, with a roar it came free. The hunter's struggle ceased as he could only look in shock at his stone in his enemy's hand. He had already died four times and using his abilities took a toll on him but losing his stone was downright agony. Zavis looked up at his opponent's eyes in rage but his widened when he saw the same blood red eyes he had. Now he understood why this guy gave him so much trouble, they were the _same. _

As his body began to dissolve he looked at the wound on the young man's side, he'd hoped it would slow him down but now that he knew they had the same abilities he now knew the young man kept the wound to keep using his abilities. No human could dodge his attacks the way the young man did nor could they be strong enough to swing a weapon so hard with one hand. However there was something off about him, the last time they saw each other he could throw a sword fast enough to pierce his target and close the distance between them almost instantly. Today though, he was slower and his throws weren't as fast, what was different from then and today? As he faded away the answer flashed into his head as he let out a grin that confused his opponent.

Edward raised an eyebrow at the expression before he heard snow crunching behind him. Expecting another enemy he raised his sword only to be surprised by Arendelle guards lining up with their rifles ready. "Put your hands where we can see them!"

The young man instantly put his hands up and tried to explain to them quickly what was happening but a voice behind them stopped him. "Hey! Lower your weapons he's on our side!" Kristoff emerged from the wall of guards, happy to see his friend after the night he had. Edward was equally happy to see the ice harvester and was about to run up to him when a second body got through the wall of guards. Ahimoth looked curious as he got past them and looked ahead to see the fighting only to freeze when he locked eyes on his old best friend.

For a moment neither of them moved as they stared at one another, trying to dispel the illusion that was in front of them. Ahimoth was the first to speak as he took a step forward.

"Rahim?"

Kristoff stood off from the side observing how they reacted seeing each other and was about to ask who was 'Rahim' when something began to glow in Edward's hand. The glow attracted everyone's attention as dust began to form around the glow. Thinking quickly Edward threw the stone in the middle of all of them and shouted to the guards.

"Get ready!"

Zavis's body completed regenerating as he stretched and turned to see that he was surrounded. Normally he would've been upset that more people came to interfere but when he found out why his opponent wasn't at his best. He turned to address Edward with a smile.

"I'm quite envious of you, you know. Being able to score not one, but three kills on me while I haven't gotten one on you is impressive. Greed will be furious with me if he finds out that I came back after he said to retreat but I couldn't help it. My nature required me to come find you and learn what makes you so special for such an insignificant human. You followed all the way to our hideout and took our hostage from right under our noses. After seeing you now I finally understand. Here I was thinking I would just kill you and be done with it but now I know it'll take more than my regular methods. I hope you enjoy this, I haven't shown this to many people but you're special.."

As he finished speaking Zavis began to roar toward the sky. Red lightning began to spark all over his body as his eyes and mouth began to completely glow red. His body began to get taller and leaner as his arms started to move in odd angles and the sound of bones snapping filled the air. After a moment both arms completely split apart down the middle causing blood to splatter on the snow before they healed with two seperate arms with claws on the end on both sides. His neck snapped back before extending a few inches above his shoulders. His feet tore apart the boots he wore as they too split into four feet that each had its own set of talons. Finally his bones in his face began to rearrange themselves, his face devolved into what seemed to be the end of his neck. His teeth all became filed into points as is canines grew to the point his mouth remained open. His skin turned from tan to sludge green as the light dimmed and the monster finished its transformation.

Everyone's eyes widened at the monster in front of them as the guards decided to open fire in fear. The sounds of rifles going off made it roar in anger as it faced their direction before holding out two of its arms. They waved in the air for a moment as black dust leaked from them before creating an arsenal of swords.

All the monster did was point and they all flew toward the soldiers, impaling all of them.

With the annoyances out of the way, the monster turned back to face Edward but was enraged to find he was gone. It whipped around to try and locate the other two men and saw they were gone as well. Roaring in anger the monster cracked its jaw a couple of times before shouting to the sky.

"**Come on out you coward, you can't just leave after killing me so many times! I know why you aren't as strong as you were when we first met. That enraged expression you had when saw those men with that Elemental spelled it out. You may be like me but your strength is weaker than mine, you can't use the same strength you had last night can you?! I don't know who you are but I'll tell you who I am, I am the Demon Envy the Jealous. Remember that name well because it'll be the last one you'll ever hear!" **

The demon known as Envy faced the treeline around him and extended all four of his arms. A large amount of black dust began to form in between his clawed hands before they all condensed into a towering cleaver that was easily taller than a two story building. The four hands grabbed the hilt and with a large wind up slashed through several trees in one swing. The trees hit the ground making everything shake as the demon looked over the damage searching for his opponent.

In the opposite treeline Edward, Ahimoth, and Kristoff were hiding by some trees looking at the demon search for them. Honestly they were freaked out something like that was looking for them. Edward and Ahimoth put aside the fact their old best friend was alive for the moment until they dealt with the enemy in front of them. Kristoff was trying his best not to panic as the demon kept cutting down trees looking for them. Two years ago he was regarded as the weirdest thing when he talked for Sven. A year later he was dating a Princess who had her memories erased by his family, had a sister who could control ice and snow, made friends with a walking talking snowman, then got thrown off a cliff by a large snowman. Now he was hiding from a demon who could create things out of thin air? Sometimes he missed his life being so simple but he pushed that aside as he turned to Edward.

"Last time I saw you, you were going to warn Captain Stonewell about Hans and it turns out he didn't know until he found out himself. Care to explain where you went?" Edward could see the pointed expression the mountain man had and couldn't really blame him.

"I was on my way to see him until a carriage ran by me and I saw Elsa's ice cape in it so I thought she might be in trouble so I followed it. Turns out I was right and I got her out and we rested before coming down the mountain where this guy was waiting for us."

"Oh I see. Well while you were rescuing Elsa did you happen to piss this guy off because he really seems to have it out for you."

Edward rolled his eyes at the sarcastic question as he watched Envy make a particular violent slash as the demon continued to search. "I might've stabbed him through his spine and blew him up with a grenade."

Kristoff shook his head and couldn't help but groan. "And it didn't occur to you that you shouldn't piss someone off who can survive all that?"

Ahimoth chose that time to interrupt them as he placed both his hands on their mouths and made them hit the snow. Envy suddenly faced their direction and made his way over to the treeline. The demon got a few meters away from them and prepared another swing of his cleaver. The three men held their breaths as a whooshing sound went over their heads making snow and trees fall all around them. They remained perfectly still hoping no trees would fall on them and Envy would think they weren't there.

The demon's eyes scanned the site before moving on and cutting down more trees, letting the three men let out the breath they all were holding. Kristoff waited until Envy was clearly out of earshot before turning to the two men next to him.

"Alright you two are the super soldiers, got any ideas on how we deal with this guy?"

Edward didn't know what to say, he knew what to do with Zavis but he had no idea with something like Envy. He didn't even know that something like that was possible, he certainly couldn't do that! Ahimoth on the other hand looked a little more thoughtful as he stared at Edward's red eyes for a moment before shifting them to the ice harvester.

"Ok listen, the first thing we need to do is pool our information. Rahim you pissed this guy off the most, what do you know about him?"

Edward's face took on a pained expression at the name, the two men could easily see it but chose to say nothing.

"Well he's not immortal and those weapons he created aren't infinite, they require essentially his life force, that black dust, to create them. He also can't maintain them and heal at the same time. Back when he looked like a person he could only create a finite amount of swords but now it seems his reserves have increased exponentially with that new form. However there must be a drawback, power _always _comes with a price."

Ahimoth absorbed the information and studied the demon for a moment before noticing something. Envy's body had small trickles of blood flowing down his body. He remembered when the guards fired a volley at the demon and it responded by killing them. If he could heal like Rahim said then why didn't he do so after killing them?

_Unless he can't…_

There was no way to prove Envy couldn't heal, Rahim had bleeding wound on his side right now and that demon said they were the same so why didn't he heal?

_Power always comes with a price…_

The Prince's eyes widened as he turned back to Rahim.

"Is the reason you're not healing because you're using whatever ability you have right now?"

"Yeah, I can just strengthen my body and senses but I don't have the amount of reserves he has."

"So right now in this moment, he can't heal as long as he looks like that and is carrying that large building of a weapon?"

"I guess, how does that help us now?"

Ahimoth turned back toward the enemy and took a deep breath before exhaling. Without warning he sprinted out of the treeline the moment Envy turned his back on them. He quickly made up the distance between them as the demon heard footsteps coming behind it. As it turned around it was met with a claw slashing through one of its eyes causing it to wail in pain. The Prince watched as the demon brought a hand to its eye while using the other three to swing the cleaver in where he thought the man would be.

The Prince was barely able to roll out the way as the force of the swing sent him flying across the clearing. The snow cushioned his landing as he slowly got back to his feet as he watched Envy wail in agony. Now if it was true Envy couldn't heal while he was like that then they had a chance. If they managed to kill him while he couldn't heal hopefully he'll stay dead, Ahimoth honestly doubted it but it was the only plan he had.

The demon focused it's remaining eye and dissolved the cleaver in his hand before creating another row of swords and pointed in the Prince's direction. The swords shot toward him with haste but with the distance they were at, Ahimoth was able to roll out the way as they impaled the ground he was just at. Envy found that unamusing as it raised a hand and made the swords levivate once again then it slashed its hand at the annoyance forcing him to block with his gauntlets.

While this happened Kristoff and Edward were still hiding in the treeline with mouths wide open. The mountain man was able to speak first as he turned to the man next to him. "Your friend really knows how to stick his foot in it doesn't he?"

Edward couldn't help but agree as he watched the Prince block and weave around the swords. "That's Ahimoth for you, charge first ask questions later. But he's not an idiot, look. Envy's eye isn't healing. I think he wanted to test if Envy really couldn't heal, and I don't think it can. That means that we might actually have a chance. I'm going to try and sneak around and attack him from behind, you stay here."

Before the young man could go a beefy hand locked on his shoulder. He turned back around to face the determined looking stare of the mountain man. "Don't think you're doing this on your own, I'm helping."

Edward sighed, he appreciated the gesture but he didn't want to endanger the man. He wasn't a lieutenant of a special military force or a guy who could survive having his head chopped off and had the strength to choke out a bear. "Kristoff, thanks for the offer but look at that thing, you have no chance against it. Ahimoth is barely holding his own out there and I got a blade sliced through my stomach. It's better if you stayed here."

The mountain man shook his head as he stood up. "You're right, I don't stand a chance against that thing, neither do you or your friend out there. But _we _have a chance though, if that thing really can't heal then I'm betting if we can get its head off, it'll stop moving. Maybe it won't kill it but it'll give us time to come up with something else if it's busy trying to put its head on its shoulders."

Edward was about to argue but a scream grabbed his attention as Ahimoth got stabbed in the shoulder and lost his footing. The swords positioned themselves above his prone form ready to rain down and skewer him. The young man couldn't sneak behind Envy and get to his friend in time. He groaned out loud before thrusting the sword handle into the ice harvester's hands.

"Wait until I give you the signal to strike."

Before he could get confirmation he put even more effort into his body as more veins protruding from his arms and legs as black dust began to form around them. The blood loss from the wound in his side made him a little dizzy but he shook it off as he dashed toward his fallen friend and grabbed his leg as he zoomed by pulling him out of danger.

Envy's eye tracked Edward as it roared before bringing up its four arms and began generating more black dust as it readied its next attack. Ahimoth got to his feet next to him and got into a ready stance next to the young man.

"I was under the impression that you were going to try a surprise attack from behind when we learned he couldn't heal. Not that I'm ungrateful you saved my ass but it was more strategic to launch an attack from behind while I distracted him, you're slipping Rahim."

The young man picked up one of the nearby guard's sword before getting in his own stance before answering. "Rahim is dead Ahimoth, besides who said that sneak attack isn't on it's way?" The Prince scoffed as he scanned the treeline looking for the mountain man.

"You really think that greenhorn is actually going to get a good hit on this guy?" Edward didn't appreciate the tone his friend made but chose to say nothing as Envy threw its hands forward and numerous chain blades fired out of the black dust. Edward rushed ahead dashing and weaving through the blades as Ahimoth stayed behind and blocked them. As he got closer he started slashing the chains causing them to go slack and giving the Prince time to advance as well.

Edward could feel the waves of anger coming off Envy, it helped direct his actions as the demon started directing its chains toward him. He started to slice and dice all that came his way until he was close enough that he jumped and closed the distance between him and tried to slice off it's neck. Two greatswords blocked his strike as two more appeared in the demon's hands and he watched as they both swung his way. Pushing off the greatswords that in front of him he managed to dodge the attack as he sailed through the air for a moment.

Envy materialized a couple of spears and pointed two of its hands at him and he watched them fly toward him. He prepared himself to block them but as they flew closer, they each jerked in a random direction. Edward looked at Envy to see Ahimoth right under its nose with a hard punch to the demon's abdomen. The Prince wasted no time before jumping up and delivering a particularly hard uppercut that knocked his opponent off balance. The demon took a step back and remained standing using the extra balance its four feet provided as it looked down before swinging all four greatswords down at once.

Ahimoth quickly backtracked to avoid the attack that made snow explode in front of him. Knowing it lowered visibility for the both of them, the Prince tried to get more distance between them but two more greatswords came out of the snow cloud from both sides aiming to catch in between them both. Luckily, Rahim appeared in front of him and slammed his sword down where the two greatswords briefly overlapped causing them to dig in the ground. Not missing an opportunity, Ahimoth jumped onto a greatsword as they were pulled back by the demon who replaced them with two overhead swings aimed at his friend. The Prince didn't look back as he jumped from the greatsword as soon as he cleared the snow cloud and aimed a heavy left hook to Envy's jaw.

The punch actually made the demon fall off balance into the snow where Edward jumped right above it and aimed a heavy downward slash at its throat. Envy quickly shook off its dizziness to see the enemy approaching from above and tried creating swords to pierce him as he fell but his opponent leaned out of the way of a few and didn't seem to care if one or two ended cutting into him as he got closer. Knowing there was no stopping him, Envy made a large spiked shield appear in each hand and attempted to cover his body.

Seeing the blockade in front of him, Edward changed tactics. He threw his sword into a gap in between the shields that rewarded him with a gush of blood. He then managed to plant his feet and land safely on a spike before jumping off the shield. As Edward reached the ground he saw that the sword had pierced Envy's chest. The wave of wrath warned him of an incoming attack as he jumped back to avoid a rain of spears aimed at his previous position.

When he landed, he felt his legs go weak for a moment as he dropped to a knee and supported himself with a hand. He took a quick peek below him to see a couple more cuts on his body that had a steady flow of blood that leaked into the snow. The flash of weakness must've been from blood loss, he knew that he needed to heal sooner or later but he couldn't risk making himself an easy target for his opponent so for now he would keep his muscles strengthened. Fortunately the waves of wrath coming from the demon warned him of most attacks.

He could see Envy's muscles tense as it pulled the sword out of it's chest before hurling it at him making him lean out of the way as it sailed past. As long as the demon maintained that pissed off state he could read its moves like a book and counter accordingly. The downside being that with the state his body was in, healing would take away his senses and he wouldn't be able to foresee attacks.

He needed this to end quickly before his body gave out.

Edward could also feel waves of anger coming from Ahimoth, as well as the small amount coming from the treeline directly behind Envy. Kristoff had snuck around and was lying in wait for the signal. Edward slowly stepped to the side until he could he was directly in front of Kristoff's line of sight while facing Envy. He raised his hand and with his thumb slowly dragged it across his throat then pointed at the demon. Envy roared in anger at the taunt but Edward hoped the mountain would understand the message.

The demon raised its hands before summoning more chain blades and launching them at Edward. The young man dodged and weaved the myriad of attacks but a few blades managed to clip him a couple times proving his body was beginning to slow down. One particular chain flew toward his head and before Edward could move out the way, his leg gave out causing him to fall on his knee and watch as the blade sailed toward his head. He braced himself for it to split his skull but it stopped a couple inches from his face before being pulled back.

Ahimoth had enough of staying on the side lines as he charged the demon. He watched Rahim avoid the chain blades but when the young man's leg gave out he saw that one chain blade was making a beeline for him instead of twisting and seeking its target. He managed to grab that particular chain and pulled as hard as he could, halting it from embedding itself in his friend's head. Envy noticed the Prince and diverted a couple chain blades in his direction but he rolled out of the way of them before charging for its body with his arm cocked back.

The demon backpedaled as it tried to stay out of the Prince's reach. Last time it got hit by one of his punches, it lost control of its weapons. He didn't know how such an annoyance could have such a heavy punch but it didn't care. As long as it stayed out of his reach, then it was fine. As Envy kept moving backwards it didn't notice that the chain blades it summoned were heading toward it. When they wrapped around its left shoulder did it notice, looking at the end of the chain was Edward who gave a hard pull. Knowing it couldn't beat the young man in a bout of pure strength, the demon tried to dissolve the chain before he was pulled too far but a bone crushing punch impacted its chest.

The blow pushed away Envy as it let out a spurt of blood out of its mouth as it looked at the Prince. The demon looked at the man and couldn't imagine why he hit so hard. He could tell he wasn't like the other one but there was just something about his punches. Envy then turned its eye toward its gauntlets and they widened in surprise. The silver gauntlets were beginning to glow a flaming red. The demon didn't know why but it didn't want to find out as it rolled back to its feet and faced the two men who stood side to side.

Ahimoth walked forward and crossed his arms.

"I think that's enough…"

The Prince then pulled his arms apart scraping the gauntlets together and causing them both to ignite and catch fire. Edward wasn't surprised when he saw this, he was there when Ahimoth got those gauntlets and boots from Lilian's father. They were infused with his magic that allowed the Prince to strike with the force of a flaming bull when ignited. His boots had the same ability but for both of them to ignite it required they create friction in itself while striking an enemy. Edward wondered how long it would take for them to ignite but he was glad the time finally came.

His eyes flickered back to their regular blue color for a moment and he could feel his body beginning to go limp. Edward was fighting hard not to collapse but he was nearing his limit, they needed to finish this _now. _

The young man bumped Ahimoth who turned his way and watched him gesture toward the treeline. The Prince shook his head but was met with an adamant stare that made his sigh as he agreed to the plan.

The two took a running start as Envy conjured four longswords and prepared for them to come in range. Edward attacked first with a flying kick that pushed the demon back when he blocked with one of his arms before attacking with the other three. The young man quickly flipped out of the way as Ahimoth charged with a flaming punch but had to stop his attack to dodge the spears that rained down on him. Attempting to use the slight distraction to it's advantage, Envy charged the Prince and swung its four arms in succession hoping to land a blow.

Ahimoth had to bob, weave, and defend against the attacks as he tried delivering his own only to have them deflected. The Prince winced as one of the blades sliced through his leg but was relieved when Rahim came down from the sky with an axe kick that disarmed one of the longswords before he threw a kick that pushed Envy back. With the extra breathing room, Ahimoth was able to unleash a vicious uppercut that stunned the demon. Taking the quick chance they got Rahim rolled to a longsword before picking it up with both hands and turning back to the demon who shook off its daze.

Upon seeing it's longsword in the hands of its enemy, its first instinct was to dissolve it but the flaming first coming its way blocked him from view. Envy created a wall of swords to protect his neck and heart but let out a roar when it felt two of legs being cut off. Dropping to the ground in a heap, Envy looked a bit further away to see Edward with its longsword in his hand dripping with its blood. The man tried to turn and face the demon but his legs gave out as he sank to his knees and tried using the longsword as support. It seems that he finally ran out of strength. Before Envy could take advantage of the situation, it felt a crushing yet searing pain in its other leg. Falling to the ground, the demon turned just in time to see Ahimoth's fist sending it careening toward the treeline.

Edward's bled blue again as he gripped his side and felt the world begin to darken. With the last of his strength he yelled at the top of his lungs.

"**Now Kristoff!" **

Envy's eye widened as the sound of bushes rustling behind it made it turn around only to come face to face with the third man he saw earlier. Before it could even think of creating a weapon to defend itself, the ice harvester swung the sword in his hand with all his might and the demon felt the world turns upside down as its head flew off its shoulders. Envy's body immediately froze as all the weapons turned to black dust and it fell to the ground. Black dust began to form around the body as started to shrink and return to a human form once again. Kristoff watched very dim red lightning slowly crackles on at the neck as the head that rolled away disintegrated. Soon Zavis's head appeared on his shoulders but when he tried to get up he found his body wouldn't move. His eyes had turned brown as he looked up at the Prince who stood over him. The hunter managed to say one more thing before he passed out.

"I'm envious of those gauntlets."

Edward wasn't far behind as he felt himself fall forward as his world turned black as soon as he hit the snow.

* * *

**Hey guys knew chapter, hope you all enjoyed the battle. It's hard writing a fight scene for basically the entire chapter. Please stay tuned and review. **


	15. Chapter 15

Elsa felt her head throb as she slowly opened her eyes to see the ceiling of her room. Propping herself up on her elbows, she rose into a sitting position as the room spun slightly. Giving it a moment to pass she swung her legs over the side and pushing the covers off her body. For a minute her mind was blank as she looked around the room and noticed the sun was high in the sky and her clock on the wall noted it was two in the afternoon. As she pushed off her bed with her hands she felt a slight pain in her wrists, bringing them up she saw they were delicately wrapped with bandages.

She frowned for a moment trying to remember what had happened to her wrists when all at once it came back to her. Her kidnapping, Zavis, Greed, her rescue, and Edward sending her to Arendelle while he faced the captor. Elsa panicked for a moment and pushed open her door surprising the two guards stationed there.

"Your Majesty?"

The platinum blonde, remembering the last two guards that were outside her room, waved her hands and froze the two of them from shoulder to foot. The two men had shock on their faces that they had been restrained by their monarch who quickly decided to run down the hall.

Elsa was running on instinct at the moment, she was back in the castle where there were imposter guards roaming around and could be near her sister. A trail of ice formed behind her as she ran startling servants she blew by as she made a beeline toward her sister's room. When she made it there, she didn't even bother knocking as she pushed the door open with her shoulder and looked around for her sister. When she found the room empty, her panic began to increase as she turned on her heel and ran toward the courtyard oblivious to the ice beginning to spread around her. Any guard that crossed her path had their feet frozen to the ground as she ran past all of them calling out for her to calm down.

It was when she turned around a corner that led to the stairs going to ballroom did she run into Kai who was more than a little surprised at the usually poised Queen running like a bat out of hell. The two of them fell onto their butts as they hit each other, the butler was startled when ice blossomed from where the blonde fell and froze his breeches to the ground. Nethertheless he was happy to see she was back on her feet but noticed the look of fear on her face.

"Queen Elsa, are you alright?"

Elsa noticing it was Kai scrambled to her feet and unfroze him as she wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight squeeze. For a moment the butler was surprised but hugged her back somewhat awkwardly until she pulled back. Grabbing his hand, the blonde fueled by adrenaline pulled the man to his feet and tugged him down the stairway.

"Kai I'm so glad to see you, listen, there are imposter guards roaming around we need to find Anna before they can get to her."

The butler was having a hard time keeping his balance as he was being pulled by the Queen but he managed to hook an arm around a rung on the stairs and made her stop. Confused and still panicked, Elsa turned around and was about to reiterate their dilemma when Kai put his hands in front of him in a calming gesture and spoke first.

"We are aware that your Majesty, we spent the night verifying the guards and we're sure there are no more imposters. Your sister is in the infirmary, she's unharmed but Master Edward and Prince Ahimoth seemed to have sustained some injuries."

Elsa slowly absorbed the information and struggled to beat down her panic as she just now noticed the ice going up the walls and the trial behind her. With some effort she dispersed the ice in the castle before turning around and running toward the infirmary. She could hear Kai attempting to keep up with her but she was already bursting through the doors to the infirmary by the time he turned the corner to the hallway leading to it.

When the blonde burst into the room, Anna, Lilian, Kristoff, and Doctor Steward all turned in her direction in surprise. Elsa didn't care as she immediately launched herself toward Anna who did the same and they embraced each other tightly. They held each other for a moment before pulling back and spoke at the same time.

"Anna I'm so happy that you're safe…"

"Elsa, you're finally awake I was worried about you…"

They stopped talking when they realized they were interrupting themselves and shared a laugh. Elsa turned and sent Kristoff a happy smile when she saw he was ok to which the mountain man waved with his own smile. It was when Elsa looked to the bed he was sitting next to that her smile disappeared.

Edward was draped on it with bandages covering his entire torso. His skin looked paler then when she last saw him and the muscles in his arms taut with sweat running down them. Immediately she began to worry as the Doctor walked up to her.

"How is he doing?"

The older man grimaced as he scratched his head and looked away. When Kristoff carried the man in, there was a trail of blood following them that caused the Princess to scream. There were deep lacerations as well as multiple stab wounds that were quite large. What made it worse was the young man's heart kept beating alarmingly fast even with him unconscious. With the amount of blood he lost, the Doctor was quite sure he should've gone into shock. The older man stitched up and tightly wrapped the areas to stem the bleeding but it required multiple layers of bandages to stop the bleeding completely. After he finished he checked for a heartbeat again and was surprised to find that it was still beating strong as ever. He couldn't believe it, from what the ice harvester said, they young man had been bleeding for quite a while and even when he and Prince tried to stem the bleeding they met little success. The young man should've by all means require serious medical attention but his body kept creating blood as it was losing it. He would definitely require rest however, his life wasn't in any immediate danger as far as the man could tell.

"The wounds on his body were quite serious, particularly the one on his right abdomen. It was completely open from back to forward and some internal organs were damaged. He also received numerous other cuts and puncture wounds all over his body. Normally this is where I'd tell you he doesn't have much time since the amount of blood he lost was massive, however his body seems to have stabilized after we stopped the bleeding. He'll require rest but he should be alright your Majesty."

Elsa nodded as she gazed at her rescuer. She was happy to hear he was ok but also quite upset that he would knock her out and send her off while he put himself in danger. Part of her wanted to throttle him when awoke while another part wanted to hug him knowing he was safe now.

Her thoughts turned to the Prince who was said to be injured and searched the room for him but noticed he was nowhere to be found. She turned to Lilian who was next to an unconscious Edward and held one of his hands with both of hers. Elsa was about to ask the woman where her fiance was when she finally noticed the woman's expression. It was as if the brunette was gazing at someone who meant something to her, the way she rubbed his hand with both of hers made a feeling blossom in the blonde's gut. She knew that Lilian was to be married to the Prince but to see her with such a longing and intense expression aimed at the young man made the Snow Queen lose her words.

Anna who was standing next to her didn't miss the brief flash of emotion in her sister's eyes as she stepped forward. "Hey Lilian, where did Ahimoth get to, wasn't he also injured?"

The brunette turned without releasing the young man's hand to face the two women. "He said that he wanted to watch the Queen's kidnapper and question him when he awakened." Elsa's eyes widened as she learned that bit, they managed to capture that monster of a man? She couldn't help but speak the first thought that came to mind.

"How did the guard's capture him?"

Lilian dipped her head in Kristoff's direction. "Your guards didn't, Ahimoth, Rahim, and Kristoff managed to do so."

Elsa raised an eyebrow at the name and noticed the mountain rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. Anna chose that time to explain.

"It seems that Edward is actually a fake name, Lilian explained that his real name is Rahim. She apparently met him six years ago in a place called Elysion when he and some soldiers took both her and her dad with them to Blackdust when her father was accused of attacking their soldiers. According to her, Rahim was reported to have been killed in action during the civil war."

Elsa couldn't help but look at the man laying down on the hospital bed, with a hurt expression. If what Lilian said was true, then he lied to them, lied to _her. _She wanted him to wake up this instant so she could ask him to explain but her thoughts stopped there. She remembered when she yelled at him in the cave after he rescued her. She said she didn't care what he did in the past, he was there when she needed him and went above and beyond what anyone would ask of someone she met barely two months ago.

Elsa knew he was already a tortured man and that he viewed himself as a monster. It was like looking at her younger self every time she heard her sister knock on her door. She didn't know what he had done to make him think so harshly of himself but she decided right and now that whatever he did, she wouldn't hold it against him. Her sister forgave her for thirteen years of forced isolation and her people forgave her for cursing the kingdom with an eternal winter.

Surely she could forgive a man who terribly regrets his actions and went out of his way to help her.

Elsa turned to Anna who now sat next to Kristoff who was still staring at the man on the bed with a thoughtful expression. "Please stay with Edward and find me if he awakens, I'll be in dungeons discussing the prisoner with the Prince." The platinum blonde turned on her heel and walked out the room not without noticing the quick look Lilian gave her when she said Edward and not Rahim.

Kai was waiting outside and fell in step with the young woman as she walked past him. "Your Majesty, I thought it would be prudent to cancel everything on today's agenda seeing as a day to decompress from your trying time would be most beneficial." Elsa flashed the plump man a grateful smile as he bowed and left to complete his duties. The blonde traversed the castle until she made it to the dungeons where a guard instantly saluted her and opened the door for her.

Walking down the stone stairs she saw that both the Captain and the Prince were arguing over the fate of the prisoner.

"This man has kidnapped our Queen as well as killed scores of our men he will be kept confined here and given a trial."

"No offense but your men can't hope to contain this guy, he can make weapons out of _thin air _plus he can come back from the _dead. _We have people trained specifically to handle threats like this, he'd be more secure if we transported him to Blackdust."

"Hmm it's odd that you would want him so bad after he failed in kidnapping the Queen."

"Are we really back to this shit, for the last time, _I didn't do anything_. I don't have some half assed plan like that idiot for the Southern Isles did, I only came here because I heard the Queen was an Elemental and Lilian should meet her. Let's not forget that if I _was _part of a plot to take Arendelle, I wouldn't have gotten skewered by that asshole you got locked down there."

"Let's get this straight, I don't trust you, _at all. _You know _way _too much for all this to be coincidental, you just _happen _to be at the right time and right place to save the Princess where as most of my men were either dead or reassigned to different posts. You just _happen _to be engaged to an Elemental who had the power to melt bullets in midair. Finally you just _happen _to be one of three survivors of the same man who killed so many of my guards. _Now _you're saying we give you our only link to finding out more information on the people who took my Queen because according to you we can't contain him? Since the moment you got here, something was off about you, I don't know what it is and frankly I don't care. That prisoner is staying right here and you can go to the Queen and explain to her why you want to take her kidnapper."

Ahimoth looked ready to say something else when he noticed the older man stood at attention for someone behind him. Turning around he was a few feet away from Queen Elsa who had a poised and regal face that gave away none of her thoughts. His initial childlike disposition was completely erased from his body as he made a correct bow before straightening himself out.

"Your Majesty."

Elsa gazed up at the large man's face and inwardly hid her surprise as she noticed the playful twinkle in his eyes had vanished and cold emeralds stared back at her. He was wearing a white collared shirt that had the top two buttons unbuttoned revealing some of the bandages that were on his chest. It seemed that Kristoff was really the only one to escape the battle unscathed, however the Prince seemed to moving around with no trouble.

She had heard them argue and let it play out for a moment as she listened. Part of her was surprised to know that Lilian was an Elemental like her but in her mind she couldn't help but wonder if the Prince really did have a hand in her kidnapping. She had no intention of turning over Zavis, the man had committed crimes in her kingdom thus he will be put on trial in her kingdom. She did however feel that there should be more security around him if he was as dangerous at the large man said. The Captain may have expressed his opinion in the wrong way but she agreed with what he meant.

"Prince Ahimoth, I see you are doing well. When I was told you were injured, I expected to find you in the infirmary and not arguing with my Captain of my guard about prisoner that commited treason." Her tone was neutral but her eyes weren't, they were cold that made diplomats she dealt with shake under their gaze. To his credit the Prince didn't waver in the shrink in the slightest.

"I apologize you had to hear that your Majesty, however I stand by my earlier opinion that your men are not equipped to deal with a man like Zavis. He has already proved capable of killing scores of your men as well displayed fearsome abilities that could only be classified as demonic."

"Demonic, you say? What constitutes as being demonic, being able to create things out of thin air or changing one's form? As you're aware I can create objects out of thin air as Lilian can I assume, are we 'demonic' as well?"

The large man frowned and remained silent, he knew what she was doing. She was diverting the subject as well as trying to gain insight on what went through his head. The tales regarding her only alluded to her beauty and kindness, not her razor sharp intelligence. It did surprise him, however like almost everyone who met him, his intelligence was often underestimated.

"Of course not your Majesty, your abilities are apart of you that could be used benevolently or malevolently. Zavis's abilities were used in the latter where he abused them to cause pain and death. Also you're abilities don't trespass on the territory of life and death. Before your powers you are human, Zavis on the other hand proclaimed himself to be a demon, one who was based off one of humanity's worst sins; Envy. In Blackdust we have a specific brigade of soldiers made for mystic threats and they should be more adequate to deal with your prisoner than your guards."

Elsa kept her regal expression but couldn't help but be impressed by the large man's intellect. He had seen through her attempt and gave away nothing about how he might personally feel about her abilities in particular as well as drive the conversation back to why he should take her prisoner. Unfortunately for him, the platinum blonde was quite good at politics, thirteen years practicing did wonders for the intellect.

"Perhaps these soldiers you speak of are more equipped to deal with this dangerous man, if I were to grant your request then how would you plan on transporting the prisoner to Blackdust without these soldiers? Unless they are already here and you brought men experienced in fighting magical threats that could easily very well translate to my ice magic?"

"I planned on having a two squads come here to secure him for transport back to Blackdust."

_Checkmate._

"Then if they are here, there's no reason for you to take the prisoner back to Blackdust when he'll be secured here with your soldiers _and _my guards. After all, the entire point of you coming here was to convince me to allow you to stay and attend the Winter Solstice Gathering. You saving my sister is more than enough reason to allow you to do so, unless there's a reason you wish to leave Arendelle?"

The somewhat uncomfortable look on the man's face signaled the blonde's victory as she kept up her regal face so she could learn the real reason why he was so adamant on taking her prisoner and leaving Arendelle. The Prince opened his mouth a few times before closing it seemingly trying to form his words but failing. Finally the man took a breath before he whispered.

"I can't stand the sight of him…"

It took little imagination to guess who he meant. The look Edward had in his eyes when he admitted the coup tore them apart suggested volumes of pain. Remembering that expression made her want to know more, what had happened to cause such a rift to form between them? If he really was pronounced as killed in action then, shouldn't he wish to see his best friend again? There was no way for her to know unless one of them decided to vocalize it.

"Edward you mean?"

The large man harshly scoffed as if someone had told him a really bad joke. Normally Elsa would've taken offense to it but she kept her expression as she waited for him to speak.

"Edward? His name is _Rahim…" _The way Ahimoth said the name was like spitting out poison, his emerald eyes flashed in absolute anger as he spoke.

"...just because he changed his name doesn't change what he did. What did he think, that just changing his name would hide him? Or maybe he did it out of guilt, regardless of why, the fact is that man is a coward who can't face life head on and would prefer to sneak around like a snake in the grass.

The temperature in the room dropped a few degrees as the blonde was more than a little peeved at the way the Prince dragged her friend's name through the dirt. Captain Stonewell felt the chill and couldn't hide his small smile at the sight of the Queen exercising who held the power in that room.

"Prince Ahimoth, I would suggest you refrain from insulting the man who had braved perilous odds to rescue me and who also happens to be a friend to the royal family."

A very brief flash of fear passed the Prince's eyes as he watched his breath become visible for a moment before the room returned to its normal temperature. He could tell the Queen saw it and realized he was at a disadvantage. He had succeeded in his mission of obtaining an invitation to the Winter Solstice Gathering tasked by the King. It would be very wise of him to back down so that he could retain that privilege but the past flashing in his mind made him speak once more before retreating.

"You may have known him as a hero and friend as I have but you haven't known him as a traitor and killer like his victims had."

* * *

_Bodies littered the castle halls as Rahim tore through his enemies with no hesitation or remorse. Mystic Guard uniforms lay at his feet with the blood of his comrades dripping from his blade. The remaining men could not comprehend this betrayal, while the young teen-now-man had been distant he always remained loyal to his brothers. To kill so many of them unprovoked was mindboogling but above all, infuriating. _

_That made it all to easy for Rahim to slaughter the rest of them, their wrath made them predictable. All of their moves were easy to see and required little effort to evade and exploit their weaknesses. Even with their fear increasing their anger burned stronger. Rahim had taken something from all of them and there would be no forgiveness for as long as they lived. _

_The last couple of minutes of their lives were filled with utter anger and despair that they couldn't bring down one man. _

_Rahim had made it to the throne room where the King was facing his challenge, no was to get past him as Father commanded. The steady drip of blood on the tip of his katana filled the room for a moment until he heard footsteps behind him. _

"_Rahim! You're alive! I thought we lost you to that monster but you're really ok!" _

_The voice sounded happy, so happy that it didn't fit to see it come from such a fierce warrior. Nethertheless Rahim knew exactly who was behind him and a small part of him regretted his best friend who was like a brother had ran into that room. With the faintest amount of hesitation he gathered his strength and moved faster than his friend's eyes could track. To Ahimoth it was over in a blink, to Rahim it was eternity when he stabbed his friend and watched the range of emotions wash over the man's face. _

_First was confusion, next was disbelief, then utter sadness as he tried to whisper the name of his brother before Rahim swiftly removed the blade and watching the man fall. Time slowed down as he watched his friend fall, it almost seemed like his brother was reaching for him to help but Rahim didn't offer any assistance. When Ahimoth's body hit the ground and the last of his strength diminished as he closed his eyes, Rahim spoke out loud to remember why this had to happen. _

"_Father ordered no one to interfere with the King and his challenge."_

_The small part of him that regretted seeing best friend writhed in agony as he stared through the blood red eyes that gazed with cold indifference at the body. _

_Whipping his sword to the side, Rahim sheathed his blade before turning toward the throne room, the two sources of wrath warred against one another. He could tell what was happening from here and knew the outcome, the King would lose to Alrick. It was only a matter of time, Father gave specific instructions if Rakat would be defeated. Ever the dutiful soldier, Rahim walked over the corpses of his fallen comrades, not once stopping to lament his actions. _

_The small part of him on the inside could only sink into despair as tried to say a prayer that God rest their souls even at the cost of his, or what was left of it. _

* * *

Edward's eyes slowly opened to find that he was staring up at the familiar ceiling of the infirmary where he woke up his first time in Arendelle. The first time he was here his body was already healed when awoke, this time he could still feel the sting of his wounds. He was dead tired, the battle with Zavis left him in a weakened state, one that would take more time to heal. Fortunately if the after effects of the battle was hitting him this hard then his opponent must be feeling it worst. Too occupied with his thoughts, the young man didn't notice that one of his hands were covered with two very soft hands until they spoke.

"Rahim? You're awake!."

_Rahim._

How he hated that name but nethertheless turned to see someone he hadn't seen in years. Lilian was sitting next to him in a chair with a soft smile on her face. Adulthood at been kind to the woman, his previous mindset dedicated to completing his goal had blunted his hormones in favor of focusing on his task. Now that that was gone, he could clearly see she had grown into a beautiful woman. In the back of his head though he couldn't help the next thought that flashed in his head before he could stop it.

_Not as beautiful as a blonde with crystal blue eyes. _

He must've been really worn when he couldn't squash the thoughts that began to come forward as he thought about the woman he went up a mountain for. The first feeling that came to him was worry, he hoped that she was alright after sending her ahead of him. He knew that she was only knocked out but her being out of his sight with Zavis being around bothered him. If something had happened to her in that one mile stretch to Arendelle…

Edward found that he had jumped out of the bed and onto his feet startling Lilian. The sudden action invited a wave of pain and nausea that he quickly ignored He turned to the brunette and had felt his mouth moving before he could think about what to say.

"Where's the Queen?"

Lilian raised an eyebrow at the man's intense expression as he expressed worry for the platinum blonde. Her mind began to turn it's gears at why he would make such an expression.

"She woke up before you and announced she was off to speak with Ahimoth."

Instantly the worried expression on his face turned to one of fear for a moment at the mention of his old best friend. When they saw one another earlier, they had to put aside the feelings they had to combat their opponent but deep down Edward knew the interruption wouldn't last. As he passed out he couldn't help but worry that the next time he opened his eyes the Prince would be right there demanding they talk. However now that he wasn't, the young man entertained the thought of leaving before the man could corner him. The thought actually appealed to him at this very moment, check on Elsa, say goodbye to Kristoff and Anna, go back to the forge, pack his things and leave.

There were however two obstacles in his path. First, his body was exhausted that brief show of strength was only possible because for a moment he thought Elsa could be in trouble. Now that he knew she was up and walking around, his strength vanished and he couldn't help but use the bed to support himself as the effects of blood loss washed over him.

The second being Lilian was sitting not three feet from him.

He knew that her loyalty lies with Ahimoth, not the King or anyone else. She would know that the man that loved her would want to face his best friend turned traitor. Right now in this moment she could forcibly restrain him with a flick of her fingers but she stayed where she was watching him. She had adopted a pensive expression as she observed him, what was going through her mind he wouldn't know.

"You need to rest, the doctor said that you're body should heal but that your injuries were quite serious."

He could feel they were, his body screamed in pain as he tried to remain standing. He wanted to argue and walk out the room to carry out his plan but he dropped to his knees after taking one step. Lilian's face gave away nothing as she rose out of her chair to help him up and back into the bed as he weakly protested. Edward attempted to sit up again only for her to lightly push him back down until his energy ran out and he fell back against the pillow. His face easily showed his fatigue as she could tell he ran through scenarios on how to avoid Ahimoth.

"You don't have to worry, Ahimoth couldn't face you either. I had to treat him myself because he wouldn't enter this room, if you want to avoid seeing him, it shouldn't be too hard. He's angry and knows that a confrontation between you two in front of the Queen wouldn't be smart so he's giving you the chance to leave. He'll likely be sleeping on the ship tonight before leaving tomorrow, I stayed back because I wanted to thank you for helping my father all those years ago. If you hadn't grabbed those pills and given them to me, my father would have died a painful death."

Edward couldn't stop the next set of words that came out of his mouth.

"He still died though."

A flash of pain crossed the woman's face as she replied readily. "He died with hope for the future. I won't ask where you've been or what you've been doing. To me, you'll always be the soldier who had a heart to help an old man." With that Lilian rose out of her chair before leaning over and placing a kiss on Edward's forehead then leaving the room.

The young man was left alone after the brunette left just leaving his thoughts as company. Edward was relieved to know that Ahimoth wouldn't be coming after him. Even if he returned to the King and revealed that Rahim was alive, Edward would be long gone from Arendelle by the time they got back. He could travel on another ship maybe to the Southern Isles and remain close until he could sneak into Blackdust. He only needed to see the King privately. Alrick may attempt to have him executed but Edward was confident in his ability to escape plus he just needed to deliver a message.

Before he arrived in Arendelle he was with the remnants of Rakat Veera's army. During the coup, a few of them managed to escape out of the kingdom to plot their revenge and overthrow Alrick. He was one of them. He may be a traitor but deep down he was loyal to his commander so he would reveal the remnants location and numbers to the King. It couldn't possibly make up for all the things he's done but it was a start. After doing so he would live out the rest of his days in his self imposed exile. He would preferred to face his likely execution but he knew his body wouldn't let him, the monster would come out if he attempted another suicide attempt.

His thoughts were interrupted when the door to the infirmary opened and Anna poked her head in. Upon seeing he was awake the redhead immediately ran to his side and launched herself in a hug that was absolutely _excruciating _for the young man. However for the redhead, he let it slide and wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm so glad you're ok! When they brought you in there was so much blood I thought you wouldn't pull through but here you are ok and I'm just _so happy._" Seemingly not realizing how much her hug hurt, Anna managed to squeeze even harder that made Edward gnash his teeth together so hard he felt the bones in his jaw groan as he fought to keep quiet. Thankfully Kristoff chose that moment to walk in and noticed his discomfort.

"Alright Anna, I don't think bear hugging him is going to make him get better faster, in fact judging by his facial expression it seems to have had an opposite effect." The redhead instantly let go to look up at the young man's face who tried to show that the hug didn't hurt but the breath of relief was out of his mouth before he could stop it. The Princess instantly blushed and put her hands down the length of her skirt to avoid any more urges to touch him.

"Oh..I'm sorry."

Edward couldn't help but smile at the endearing sight of the woman in front of him. He actually really liked Anna, he actually got to see her more than Elsa since she saw Kristoff off every morning. He could tell she was somewhat socially awkward, the odd things she'd say when they were alone made him genuinely chuckle. Whenever Kristoff had to do something and left them alone they'd talk about a wide variety of things. He told her of all the pranks he used to pull on his brother when they were kids. Her favorite was the time he and his brother were learning how to react to arrows being shot at them and were left to practice on their own.

Their father had insisted they use real arrows but when he left they'd use blunt tipped ones. So one day they were practicing and Edward bet his brother he couldn't catch a real arrow that he shot. His brother felt this was stupid since they both had learned a week ago how to do just that. When he refused, saying it was too easy, Edward chose to poke at his pride saying he was too scared to do it and he'd even go first to show the 'scaredy-cat' how it was done. His brother took offense to that and agreed, so they were in position with Edward lining his shot up. When they both said they were ready, Edward released the arrow and wasn't surprised to see his brother catch it.

'Told you it was too easy.' Was what his brother said before a pile of rotten eggs fell on him from the sack that was above his head.

Earlier that day, Edward had set up the sack and planned on paying his brother back for the skunk he put in his bed last week. When they got in position and Edward shot the arrow, his brother was so focused on the arrow he didn't notice his brother pulling on a rope behind him causing the sack to open. Father was furious of course and they were harshly punished but his brother smelled like rotten eggs for a week.

That was one of the last pranks they pulled on one another…

Anna reminded him of the funnier aspects of life and he would always be grateful for that. Seeing her slightly embarrassed now and not when she made out with his boss right in front of him made him chuckle.

"Its fine, I'm super tough remember. Just wait until I'm back on my feet, I'll be sure to pay you back."

The small smile on her face he hoped to see returned as she and Kristoff took a seat next to him. The ice harvester looked happy to see he was awake but the young man could tell there were questions burning in his brown eyes. He was there when Edward basically admitted that he was like that monster Zavis or Envy as the demon said it was. He had also seen the wounds that the young man had before they brought him back to Arendelle. His blood was everywhere, and his wounds were really deep, it didn't take a genius to know when someone lost too much blood. Yet here he was joking with the mountain man's girlfriend that _same _day.

Edward wouldn't blame him if he asked questions right here right now in front of the Princess. For all he knew maybe Ahimoth had already spoken to him when they brought him back to Arendelle. The Prince would most likely tell the ice harvester all the bad things he had done and he couldn't blame the man if he wouldn't let Anna anywhere near him. But his eyes were just curious, there was no hate or fear in them, just curiosity. Apparently the injured man was so focused on the ice harvester he didn't hear the redhead's question the first time so she tapped him on the shoulder and asked again.

"Is your real name Rahim?"

Edward's eyes widened at the name coming from her lips that seemed to answer her question without him having to say a word. A frown grew on her face as she crossed her arms and leaned back with a pointed expression.

"So it is true. My next question is why did you feel the need to lie to us about your name?"

The young man wanted to look away from her gaze but before he could Kristoff coughed in a non subtle way telling him that he needed to answer. Sighing Edward gathered his thoughts before facing the Princess.

"When I was born my mother named me Rahim, when she died, my father took me in and sent me off to join the military. When the civil war erupted, most soldiers returned to the kingdom to pick a side. Alrick and his the survivors of the Mystic Guard who fought to change our kingdom to one that could find peace. While King Rakat Veera and his second, Asger the Crusher fought to maintain their conquering ways. During the conflict many lives were lost, the King had many powerful weapons as well as unnatural creatures to do his bidding. I had the opportunity to engage one in a single combat. The result was that I traded my life for a fatal blow that left the creature alive but very much dying. As the light began to fade from my eyes, I could hear my father's voice echoing in my head, saying that Rahim was dead…" Anna looked confused and ready to ask a question but Kristoff put a hand on her shoulder, to him the story was beginning to paint a much clearer picture than the one he had in his head.

Envy had said that him and Edward were the same and based off the fact that the demon could come back to life after getting its head cut off then it wasn't such a far stretch that the injured man could do the same.

"...When I awoke, I was on a table. My skin had become tan, my eyes were red, and my hair changed from black to brown. My father was there next to me saying that Rahim was dead and from now on I would be called Wrath and I would follow all of Father's instructions. At first I assumed he meant himself because he was my biological father but he spoke as if this Father person was someone else entirely. My body was stronger than before, my bones were as hard as steel, I could perceive things that others couldn't, I could heal from any injury. It wasn't until later that I realized that all power came at a price…" Edward's hands started to grow sweaty as he thought about what he was about to say. He never spoke of what he did to another person before. He knew that they deserved to hear but he didn't want them to see him as a monster.

His hands must've been shaking because a soft hand covered them and stilled them. Looking up the young man could see that the frown she had on her face was gone and now there was a soft expression on her face, encouraging him to keep going. Taking another deep breath Edward continued.

"...As Wrath I was tied to Father's will and his will was that the Mystic Guard that were Alrick's main supporters were to be wiped out. I wanted to refuse, to say that our kingdom had done more than enough to the world and should strive for peace. But my body wouldn't listen, I slaughtered all my comrades in a single night, leaving only two survivors. King Alrick and his son Ahimoth. Alrick managed to defeat the King so Father ordered me to facilitate the evacuation of Rakat's men. Once we left the kingdom we traveled far far away as Alrick had his hands full stabilizing the kingdom and ending the war. We left soldiers in different places to avoid detection and build a network to one day take back the throne. The men I helped escape were beasts that looked human, they pillaged, raped, and killed many villages across the world. My job was to protect them and ensure they gather strength. I couldn't take it, when I finally wrestled a semblance of control of my body, I ran. I ran far far away, hoping to never see them again. Too bad they knew where I was going, the guilt of what I did led me in the direction of Blackdust, hoping I could beg for Alrick's forgiveness. I spent weeks traveling with little rest or food, the only reason I didn't fall was because my body needed little to function. After escaping them, I finally passed out on the North Mountain, if Kristoff hadn't found me I likely would have frozen to death. However I would probably be back on my feet when the sun rised and my body had some rest."

Anna and Kristoff looked at one another for a moment as they heard his tale. From what he was telling them he was admitting to being a traitor to his kingdom. The Princess didn't know the law very well but she could imagine that betraying his comrades and running with the enemy would constitute a death sentence. The rumors around the Blackdust military were more or less confirmed by the young man who clearly regretted his actions.

To the redhead, Edward made more sense. At first she wanted to know why his eyes were as haunted and as pained as her sister's were during those long thirteen years. She wanted to help and genuinely enjoyed his company, hearing him admit the things he has done, threw her for a loop. She could see why he'd give a fake name. However, she couldn't fathom the nice, polite, caring, hardworking, and humorous person in front of her capable of doing such things. Maybe it was all an act to get them to let their guard down, if he could betray his brother in arms, how easy would it be to betray some people he met for a few weeks. She then remembered the brief look in his eyes he had every once in a while. With he admitted, she could see why his eyes were so pained and he wanted to be alone. She knew that he was avoiding them after their first dinner despite his assurances, at first it hurt but he made it up to her the brief times they spoke in the morning. She could tell something was weighing him down, and now knowing that he was a traitor that regretted his actions weighed her heart.

He said that he was going back to Blackdust, surely he knew that that could very well result in his execution. Regardless he worked hard to earn enough money to do so even when he easily could've asked the sisters for a favor. Anna wanted to point this out to him and hopefully change his mind on returning but he interrupted her.

"While I traveled, I decided that Rahim was dead. He was once a loyal soldier who belonged to the Mystic Guard and was reported to be killed in action during the civil war. I didn't want to be Father's weapon so I abandoned the name Wrath and decided on a new name. I once heard a fairy tale about some knight named Edward who fought for the innocent and protected any and all who needed it. A warrior with a pure heart with honor that could not be questioned. I was envious of the warrior so I took his name. Now that I'm free, I'm going to face my King and inform him of the danger that the remnants of Rakat Veera's men presented. He will likely decree I be executed and I wouldn't disagree with him in the slightest, however I know that my body won't allow myself to be killed. I refuse to send a letter and avoid facing the man, he at least deserves to see me on my knees begging for his forgiveness."

Anna closed her mouth as she could tell that nothing would change his mind. She didn't understand how his body refused to do what he wanted it to but she also didn't understand her sister's magic very well. She could see that he was doing the best with what he had, she only wished he didn't feel that he should die.

"What about Ahimoth?"

Edward and Anna turned to the ice harvester who had his arms crossed and was leaning back in his chair giving a blank stare at the injured man. He listened to the young man's words as well the conversations they had. It was noble he wanted to face the consequences for his actions but Kristoff knew that he wanted to avoid facing the Prince. From the way he talked Kristoff could see that the betrayal Edward had inflicted on Ahimoth was far deeper than the one he did against the King. If the King deserved the man facing him, then why didn't his previous best friend earn the same?

"What do you mean?.."

Edward had the look of panic in his eyes when Kristoff brought up Ahimoth. He was ok with facing the King but the Prince was a different story. They had done so much together and shared their fears, thoughts, and dreams. They were brothers in a series of wars that made them witness the loss of many friends. Facing Ahimoth meant admitting that Edward stepped on all of that. Despite how much he wanted to say he that their bond meant the world to him, his action trampled on that notion. King Alrick wouldn't act on his emotions at the drop of a hat, he trained and fought long enough to know that uncontrollable emotions left you vulnerable in battle.

That lesson was not taught to Ahimoth however.

The Prince was ruled by emotion, he could force it down in a dire enough situation but it always returned with a vengeance. Edward was honestly scared to see how the man would react to seeing him admit everything he did. If he had to guess, Ahimoth would probably launch himself at the young man and bash his head in with his bare hands. Given his condition, his body probably couldn't stop the Prince if he wanted to.

"I mean you said you betrayed him when you needed him most, if you were really sorry you'd at least tell it to him face to face versus just telling his dad."

The blunt answer fit the ice harvester and Edward couldn't even blame him. Out of all the people he wronged Ahimoth was at the top of the list of regrets. He argued with himself many times that if he valued their friendship he'd apologize to him face to face but the memory of seeing him hit the ground in front of him took away all his courage. The look of shock and utter betrayal on his face haunted him dreams and his nightmares replayed the scene over and over. He couldn't face those emerald eyes that were hurt as he coldly walked over the body.

He remembered returning to his room after speaking to Elsa, the cold sweat he worked up wasn't _just _because of her. It was when he read that Ahimoth was coming to Arendelle did his world stopped cold. His mind went into overdrive trying to think despite the panic that enveloped him. It was amazing that his body stayed deadly still as he pondered the letter and the blonde watched him. He was relieved she steered the conversation away from the letter and to other subjects. She calmed him enough to enjoy talking to her and make it back to his room that night. He made up his mind to get two extra jobs and budget his funds more to get a ship to smuggle him into Blackdust.

Edward couldn't face the man, period. He was fine being called a coward, any other insults were fine with him but he was too haunted by what he's done to attempt to right it.

"I can't, I wish to God I could but I can't…"

The broken voice made the couple feel bad for the man. The other times his voice was laced with grief couldn't begin to compare to the one they heard now. It honestly sounded like he wanted to cry but had run out of tears. Anna didn't fault Kristoff, what he said was right but she couldn't help but put her other hand on his hands and rub them reassuringly. The mountain man felt guilty for being so blunt and hurting Edward like that, surely he could've come up with a better way to say it but now it was too late and the damage had been done. All he could do was soften his expression as the couple listened to Edward say sorry over and over to Ahimoth as if he was there.

Outside the doors to the infirmary, Elsa had her back leaned against it as she heard him speak.

She came straight here after convincing Ahimoth that their security would be enough after she doubled the guard and had two of them right outside his cell where he laid shackled from head to toe. The Prince confessed he couldn't remain in Arendelle as long as Edward did and was going to leave that evening. Elsa spent around ten minutes trying to pry what the young man could've done to warrant that a Prince couldn't stand to be in the same kingdom as him. All she could get from him was that he lost a lot of friends and that it was all her rescuer's fault.

Realizing she wouldn't get anything more out of him, she attempted to change his mind and that they could all sit down and talk about it. He flat out refused before leaving and saying he needed to pack his things. When he left she had quickly apologized to the Captain for the indoor winter earlier which he responded ``It's fine, in fact it's comforting to know you can quick reflexes with your magic.' She asked him to see to the increase in security around the prisoner to which he said he'd personally see to. After that she left to return to the infirmary and check on Edward.

As she rounded the corner she ran into Lilian who had just left the infirmary. The brunette had a calculating expression as she executed a bow to the Queen before returning her inquisting eyes to the blonde's own. Neither said nothing as they continued their staredown. Elsa knew she should exchange polite words but for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to make the effort. All she did was maintain her regal poise that gave nothing away.

Lilian was examining the woman in front of her, searching her face for any cracks in the mask she wore and wasn't surprised to find none. When they were in the infirmary earlier, Anna wasn't the only one to notice the brief flash that went across the woman's face. Nor did she miss the way Elsa had said _Edward _and not Rahim as if she didn't care if he lied to her. There was something there that she was curious about and wanted to know, however, she had to see her fiance before he did something he might regret.

So for now, she would have to put her curiosity aside.

"Good evening Your Majesty, it seems Rahim has now awakened. He seems to have been very concerned about your safety, enough to wear himself out by attempting to get back on his feet. I humbly ask you take care of him, he's been through a long day and should get some rest."

Elsa responded with fabricated politeness. "I'll ensure Edward has the best care, please make sure Prince Ahimoth is well, he seems to be distraught for some reason."

Lilian bowed her head and walked past the Queen with measured footsteps that echoed in the blonde's head until she was gone. Elsa moved toward the door and was about to open it when she could hear Edward's voice barely reach her ears.

"...I slaughtered all my comrades in a single night, leaving only two survivors. King Alrick and his son Ahimoth…"

Elsa's hand fell limply to her side as she couldn't help but think back on the Prince's words.

"_You may have known him as a hero and friend as I have but you haven't known him as a traitor and killer like his victims had."_

Now she understood why Ahimoth felt the way he did. He lost comrades to her rescuer, the victims he spoke were people he knew and fought with. She didn't know what to say or think. She didn't understand how the Prince wasn't demanding Edward's head on a plate after what he did. The blonde couldn't help but listen to the man and what sounded like her sister's conversation.

She now knew why he gave them a fake name and that why he was so haunted. It was hard but she reminded herself she wouldn't hold what he did against him. Edward even wanted to face his actions and beg for forgiveness which made Elsa's heart swell with pride. Then it cracked into little pieces when Kristoff asked about Ahimoth and the young man's voice broke and he retreated into his mind and apologized like a traumatized child. It went on and on for a while until Anna got him to stop and she could hear them say that he should rest for the night. A few moments later, her sister and boyfriend opened the door to see the blonde standing there with a somber expression on her face. It was obvious she had heard what the man said.

Anna didn't have to say anything as she stepped to the side and gestured for her sister to walk into the infirmary. Elsa walked in and heard the door close behind her as she looked at the bed and could see Edward staring back at her with a broken expression. Her face must've retained her previous expression as he looked down into his hands as she walked over to the chair next to him and sat in it.

For a moment neither of them said anything, Elsa didn't know how to say she heard everything, but what she didn't know was Edward heard her outside the door. He memorized the way she breathed and could easily distinguish it. She had already seen him as Wrath in the bandit cave, knowing she had heard what he had done, at least a part of it made it hard for him to face her. He didn't want her to view him as a monster but now that seemed like an impossibility.

He flinched when he felt her oddly warm hands envelop his own. The way she rubbed his knuckles began to make the wall he built up around himself crumble as she began to speak. "I know you're afraid, it's fine to be afraid, but it's what we do when we're afraid that defines us. I know you're not a coward in any sense of the word, you're just haunted by the past. I know it's hard but the past _is _in the past and you need to know that you _can _move on."

Edward couldn't help but scoff as he took his hands away from her. "The past is in the past is it? Tell that to the dead bodies of my fallen comrades who watched as someone they fought and bled with killed them with no hesitation." The blonde's face was patient as she didn't take offense to him brushing her off, grief took on many forms, regardless she continued to speak.

"You're seeking to atone for the things you've done even with the threat of death over your head. You're honoring their memory by trying to face the consequences of your actions…"

Instead of soothing him, Edward for the first time that felt a wave of anger that made his eyes bleed red and returned some of his strength.

"_You know nothing!"_

Elsa was taken aback to see the young man whirled in her direction and she got to finally see the red eyes that belonged to the man who saved her. They were the same as Zavis and Greed's but where there's made a shiver go down her back, Edward's made her want to get closer. The young man didn't expect the woman to raise her hand and put it on his cheek which instantly made his eyes turn blue again as his anger dissipated.

"Then tell me, I'm here to listen and not judge."

Her soft tone made him regret snapping at her. He honestly hoped she'd drop it and leave but couldn't deny that he felt a little better that she stayed. He couldn't tell her, he couldn't even tell Anna. He left out one key detail that made it impossible for him to ever deserve forgiveness. It made him sick to think about it, the one thing he took that he could never give back. He couldn't say it out loud it was far too painful to ever put into words but those soft blue gems and warm touch on his cheek had the words out of his lips before he could stop them.

…

He watched Elsa's eyes widened at what he said and felt her hand slowly drop from his cheek. He couldn't stand to watch the whirl of emotions that bounced in her eyes as he looked down to his hands cursing himself and wishing that he just stayed dead.

It wasn't until he felt two warm arms wrap around his head and pulled him into something that smelled of winter peppermint. It took him a moment to realize that Elsa was hugging him and he was about to ask she release him when he felt something hit his cheek. It was wet and barely registered it touching his skin but when he felt it again he recognized it as water. For a moment he entertained the thought it was raining inside when he felt a hand rub the back of his head that he realized it was Elsa's tears raining down on him. Part of him wanted to ask why _she _was crying but before he could, he felt something slide down his cheek.

For a moment he thought it was another one of her tears but when felt something slide from the top of cheek down his face did he realize that _he _was crying.

Edward had thought he cried all of his tears when he realized his mother was gone and his father had beat out any unnecessary emotions. Feeling them roll down in his cheeks while being embraced by an angel who had known his sins made him shake to his core. More tears began to flow down his face as he couldn't help but lift his arms and wrap them around her back as he sobbed and sobbed into her collarbone. The angel held him in her arms well into the night until he calmed himself down enough to sleep and for once, there were no nightmares.

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**Hope ya'll enjoyed the chapter, I wanted to go with a feels chapter hopefully ya'll enjoyed it. I'll try to drop a new chapter next week. I'm trying to get to the main point of this fanfic BEFORE Frozen 2 drops so that's like 12 weeks away and i'm gonna be away from a computer for 4 of those weeks. So that's roughly 80k words. I might need to speed up this fanfic, drop a review or pm me to offer opinions. **


	16. Chapter 16

**PLEASE READ! I have made an error writing this fanfic with titles, I revised them so hopefully they match the ones in the first chapter and makes sense. Enjoy the chapter.**

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Elsa sat among her council who each took turns expressing the worry about the fact that she was kidnapped and they were currently confining someone with extraordinary abilities. They went back and forth deliberating what to do with Zavis, some in favor of keeping him confined indefinitely while others called for execution. The Queen knew that they had good points saying that banishing him could risk him returning and his crimes did warrant the death penalty even by Arendelle law.

Even through everything Elsa still didn't believe killing was ever the right answer. She placated them earlier saying that she personally went down and added her own ice shackles to keep him restrained. The blonde also didn't mention that Ahimoth offered to take the man off their hands due to the assumptions they could better contain the prisoner.

Earl Alphonse finally losing his patience stood up and slammed his palms on the table forcing everyone to quiet down. "This man is an extreme threat to Arendelle, not only did he manage to infiltrate our guards but he made off with the Queen. He needs to be dealt with however what no one seems to be asking is `Why target Arendelle?' and 'Is he the one in charge?' We know absolutely nothing about this man, only what he is capable of. Before we deal with him we need to know more about him."

The advisor turned to Elsa with questioning gaze that made it fairly obvious what he was about to say. "Your Majesty, during your capture did you happen to learn anything more in depth, like if this Zavis was actually the mastermind behind this attack and why target Arendelle. We already have a report from the Prince saying that Hans was with the attackers however the Prince said he seemed subservient to another, this Greed character. Do you know anything about this man?"

Elsa couldn't stop the small shiver that went down her back when she thought of that man. She knew that her council and guards needed to know about him but she wanted to forget about him and get everything straightened out again first. However since they decided to directly ask her now, she had no choice but to answer.

"Yes, when Zavis took me to their base, he brought me to Greed who seemed to be in charge of all the bandits. He said that Hans wanted revenge for thwarting his attempt on the throne and planned to kill me. Greed however felt that I was more use to him alive than dead, he even mentioned someone else who would benefit from having a 'live specimen'. When I refused he ordered I'd be _persuaded_ but remain presentable."

Her council looked bothered when she said the word _persuaded_ as none of them wished to ask her to clarify what she meant. Earl Alphonse continued speaking not giving anyone a chance to interrupt him. "This proves the threat is not over, with recent developments I believe we should take extra measures to deal with these rogue elements. Prince Ahimoth seems quite confident in this group of soldiers Blackdust has and given their rumored history they seem to be what we need in apprehending this Greed character, dealing with the bandit threat, and securing our prisoner."

_Well played Prince Ahimoth._

Her earlier dismissal about him being able to bring troops while remaining here flashed in her mind. Perhaps he decided to secretly meet with her council after leaving yesterday to convince them over to his side. Edward's words about Ahimoth feeling underhanded tactics were beneath him also flashed in her mind. The Prince could've easily talked to the council while she was unconscious when they brought her in the castle. Regardless of either, she needed to focus on the present.

"The Prince has approached me with the request to bring these soldiers to secure Zavis however he also desired we extradited the prisoner to Blackdust claiming they were better suited to detaining him. I refused, seeing as he is our prisoner and that the Blackdust soldiers can just as easily secure him here where he will face Arendelle justice."

"Perhaps we should extradite the prisoner."

Everyone turned to Earl Edward who had a pensive expression on his face. The older man had barely said anything during the meeting just jotting down notes every so often as they all bounced off ideas off one another.

"This man is a threat against Arendelle and should be dealt with, he can also be used as a bargaining chip with Blackdust. If we give them a man who attacked and injured their Prince then we can further boost relations between us and gain a _flexible _ally."

Elsa knew what the older man meant, he wished that they could use Blackdust's soldiers to help boost their own military and deal with threats they couldn't officially do. Nods came from her council as they all began to discuss this new branch of conversation. The blonde pretended to listen but was actually making a good argument to refuse. As long as she was Queen she would see to it that Arendelle would never engage in war or shady dealings. Fortunately Duke Eren seemed to agree.

"We can't all be seriously considering this? This man has committed crimes against _us _first before anyone else and should be punished _by us. _In addition, what if Blackdust used Hans to mount this offense then came at the most opportune moment to help us. Why _would _they want the prisoner in the first place? Just because their Prince was injured, the man is a soldier, I'm sure he has been injured before and his wounds weren't reported to be too serious since he was up and about after bringing the prisoner back here."

"That sounds a little far fetched, Hans has a preexisting grudge against us while we have been the only trade partner they've had since their civil war. Why would they wish to jeopardize their only relationship with their only ally?"

Earl Edward's rebuttal echoed in the room as the council thought to themselves the same. Elsa personally didn't know if she believed Blackdust would devise something like this, it was too grand for Arendelle's small kingdom. There wasn't really anything special about her kingdom, no special trade good that other kingdoms would have to go through too much effort to obtain. She made many allies for Arendelle and was always a neutral zone during invasions that warring kingdoms wouldn't take a second glance at them. What could Blackdust possibly gain from them that was worth damaging their already vague relationship?

The only thing special was the fact that she was an Elemental…

The blonde thought back to her meeting with Greed to see if she might now could be able to pick up something she missed.

_Hans wanted to kill you himself after you signed over your kingdom to him but something dawned on me as we planned. I have much more use for you alive then dead...I plan on taking you to someone who will benefit from having what he'd call a 'live specimen'. _

What she remembered him saying showed that Blackdust was less likely to have something to do with this attempt on her. Greed said the idea of her use dawned on him as he and Hans planned their strategy so it must've originated from him. He also seemed to have an accomplice who seemed quite interested in Elementals, the way she heard him say live specimen made her skin crawl. Bringing herself to the present she raised a hand to quiet everyone in the room.

"I do wish to point out that Prince Ahimoth saved my sister and that has earned him the benefit of the doubt. Also Greed said that he thought of his own plans for me while Hans wanted me dead so we can safely assume that Blackdust didn't send this man after me. However we will not extradite our prisoner, he will be judged by our courts and contained by our military. During my capture I saw the location of their base and that it housed many bandits, Zavis claimed that Greed decided to call of his plans for Arendelle and leave before our guards returned. Seeing as he knows that I know where his base is, it's quite possible that he had already evacuated the cave. Zavis is our only link to Greed so we need him to stay until we have a more definite lead on Greed and Hans. This attack on our home was way too close and cannot happen again."

Her words ended apparently ended the debate and she was about to adjourn the meeting when the Duke spoke again. "You are right your Majesty, this cannot happen again, which brings up another topic that needs to be discussed."

The blonde turned to him with a questioning gaze, curious as to what topic he felt that needed to be discussed. "According to the reports, the prisoner managed to get you to the main courtyard because he had two guards imposters lead you there. We cannot expect you to know every guard's name and face your Majesty, which is why we recommend that you appoint a personal guard."

Elsa inwardly groaned, this wasn't the first this conversation had come up. While she had nothing against any guard and has made tremendous strides to be an open and approachable Queen, she _still _was still uncomfortable with being close with people. Anna and Olaf were the exception of course since both of them felt the need to hug her almost daily while Kristoff and Sven maintained a comfortable distance since they could tell she was still getting used to them.

Edward was a special case, he drew her in with the similar pain they shared and kept a respectable distance between them on most occasions. The one time they were closest was when he held her as she tried to vent all the emotions that plagued her that night in the cave they slept in. When she woke up in his lap, she felt a blush on her cheeks and couldn't help but scramble away in embarrassment.

Bottom line was, she didn't feel comfortable with having someone she barely knew with her all day. Even with her magic being more controlled, yesterday morning proved that she could slip up and hurt someone. She wanted to refuse but after the attack this certainly warranted that she appoint someone to protect her. A couple of months ago, the blonde had turned down their request saying she could easily protect herself with her magic but her kidnapping proved she was dead wrong.

Zavis was not in the least threatened by her abilities and was able to neutralize them reducing her to a helpless little girl. He also was able to dispatch her guards with little effort, in fact the one and only time she saw his injured was when Edward impaled him on his sword. When she found out that Edward, Ahimoth, and Kristoff managed to capture the man she was more than a little surprised. Before the meeting she found the mountain man and asked how they managed to do and he regaled her with how Edward and Ahimoth fought Zavis who could turn into some kind of demon named Envy and gave the ice harvester an opening to finish off the monster. Edward had managed to overpower Zavis and had him pinned when they arrived with more guards and was able to hold his own against Envy.

_Maybe I should have a personal guard. _

Elsa dismissed the thought, last night Edward confided in her that he didn't want to fight and she couldn't blame him. The things he's experienced would make most people abhor violence, the regret that hung around him like armor further convinced her. She had felt that his skills would be an invaluable use to Arendelle's guard but his heart was adamant against using those skills. The things he confessed to her last night were all punishable by death, she could see why he was afraid to face the Prince who she was told was leaving midday today. She swore to herself she wouldn't ask that Edward use his skills in service to Arendelle, she was already grateful he used them to save her.

"You may be right that I might need a personal guard, I will speak to Captain Stonewell about it. Is there anything else that needs to be discussed?" Elsa looked around and saw all of them shake their heads then she dismissed them and left the room. There were more things on her agenda today but there was first something she needed to do. When she left the council chambers she walked straight to the entrance to the castle where Ahimoth and Lilian had set their bags.

As she walked down the stairs she noticed that Anna and Kristoff were already there saying their goodbyes. Her sister sounded like she was trying to convince them to stay however Ahimoth wasn't having it.

"You've only been here for a day and it was ruined by those guys, come on there's so much to do here and I'm sure you'll enjoy it."

"I appreciate the offer Your Highness, however we must go, there are things that I need to discuss with the King. Perhaps we'll return for the Winter Solstice gathering but for now, I'm needed elsewhere." Anna could tell that that wasn't entirely true and she felt that they were leaving because of Edward but she said nothing. Kristoff had a neutral expression, no one could tell if he was happy or sad to see the two of them go. He gave the Prince his thanks for protecting Anna and a firm handshake while expressing he hoped they had a safe journey then returned to the redhead's side.

Once Elsa finished descending the stairs did Ahimoth turn her way and bowed along with Lilian. "Your Majesty, despite the circumstances, I feel that I would've enjoyed my stay in your kingdom but for now I must return home." His tone was formal as he spoke, the angered aura from yesterday all but disappeared. Elsa guessed that Lilian had something to do with that.

"I understand, I do hope that you return to join us in the Winter Solstice gathering."

"We will have to see your Majesty."

The blonde nodded and gestured for the servants to bring their bags to the carriage outside. As she watched Ahimoth converse with Anna some more she was surprised to see Lilian step forward away from the three. When she stopped in front of the blonde, she leaned in and whispered low enough to where the large man couldn't hear.

"Please excuse him, we both know that he's only leaving because of Rahim. Last night I tried to convince him to stay but there's little I can do when he sets his mind on something that means that much to him." Elsa waved her hand dismissively, she knew that was the case. While it was somewhat disappointing that a Prince would leave her kingdom after only spending one day there, she had honestly felt more inclined to Edward's side. It may have been unbecoming of a Queen but Elsa felt that right now, she cared more about her friend's feelings versus the Prince's.

"It's quite alright, from what Edward has told me, they had a long history. It takes time to mend wounds as deep as he explained."

"Why do you call him that?"

Elsa already knew what she was asking and couldn't help but think it was about time that she did.

"It's the name he gave me and the one he prefers."

"It doesn't bother you that he lied about who he was?"

_The intense look in her eyes…she's studying me for any signs, nothing I can't handle._

"I have no right to pry into his past when he has done much for me and my family. I am willing to wait until he deems it necessary to explain to me why he would not be forthcoming with the truth."

Elsa made sure that nothing betrayed her thoughts. She already knew why he lied, she knew _everything_. It was hard to listen to everything he did but she had done so and embraced him while shedding tears not for her sake but for _his. _She could only imagine how heavy the weight on his shoulders was and the fact he confessed to all his sins to a ruling sovereign meant a lot to her. When he began to sob and returned her embrace she couldn't help but feel her heart swell. How nice it would've been if someone had done the same to her when she was alone for so long, how she wished that Anna would hold her the same way she held him.

After he calmed down they talked more about many things, Ahimoth chief among them. It took time but they finally came to a conclusion, one that could go in a number of ways.

"That's very noble. I had hoped that you and me would be able to talk more about our experiences as Elementals, besides my father you're the only one I've actually talked to. The rumors I've heard about you are amazing, being able to have enough power to cause a winter and give life to an inanimate object is extraordinary. It takes me a lot of effort to make a shield as tall as me but from what I'm told it's almost effortless for you."

"It's not as easy as people describe, I do have my limits and that storm was just pent up power finally letting loose. I too hope that we can speak more in the future about this gift we share, until a few weeks ago, I thought I was alone but now after meeting you and hearing what you did, my eyes have been opened to many things."

"Many things indeed…"

Before Elsa could ask her to elaborate on what she meant Ahimoth called out to her saying the carriage was ready for them. Turning back to the Queen Lilian bowed and hurried over to the Prince and began to walk out the doors. The blonde walked behind them while gesturing that Anna and Kristoff should come as well. The three followed the couple as the guards opened the doors to the courtyard and what they saw made them freeze.

Standing between them and the carriage was Edward with a determined look in his eyes as he stared down the Prince whose entire body tensed at the sight of the young man. Lilian, Anna, and Kristoff's eyes all widened while in the back Elsa had a knowing expression on her face as she gestured the guards to close the doors and that everyone leave the courtyard. Elsa kept her eyes on Edward, she wanted him to know she was right there supporting him like she said she would last night.

_Whatever happens, I'm right here. _

* * *

Greed was leaning on the railing of the ship he was on, the bandits he brought together were tending to their duties as they sailed through the dense fog to their next objective. They had been able to quickly pack up all their gear in Arendelle and leave before the guards could mobilize, it was a successful evacuation.

_All except one_.

Zavis had disobeyed him and gone to hunt the man who saved the Queen. When he found out that his second had been captured he was quite furious. He actually planned on returning to the castle to ensure that Zavis didn't complicate his plans.

_Even if it meant reducing our number from seven to six._

Before he could commit to his plan he received a message from Father, he was told to stand down and leave Arendelle alone for the time being. Knowing better than disobeying the person who made him, Greed left at once but he made some steps in his own plan. His eyes slid over to Hans who seemed less than happy that they had left Arendelle after coming so close to him having a throne and his revenge.

It was honestly quite amusing to see the Prince rage around the ship, his greed gave the bandit leader a clear picture of what was going through his mind. If Zavis was here he would probably be able to see more since Hans felt more envy than greed. Even Greed could tell it was aimed at his brothers as well as the royal sisters. When they first met Greed knew right away that keeping the Prince close would be beneficial and he still believed that. For once, he didn't care about the money it was a nice bonus if things went according to plan. Even though his intentions for Elsa weren't realized he still came out ahead, seeing Ahimoth again gave him new ideas. Ideas he could put into effect once they reached their destination.

"I don't understand why you called a retreat, we had that witch, we could've threatened Anna into surrendering to save her sister. Instead we just left and Elsa was able to escape, plus Zavis was captured, he could be telling them all about us right now!" Greed tried not to laugh in the man's face but a few chuckles escaped his lips as he turned to answer.

"The foreign Prince and his Elemental would've been able to wipe out our entire force if we stayed. Leaving before their guards could reinforce them was the smart decision, even if we tried the hostage ploy knowing Ahimoth he'd probably rush you and make you tell him where she was. Besides Elsa didn't escape on her own, whoever aided her gained Zavis's ire and made him disobey me. What's more interesting was that he was captured despite being more than a match for her guards. You don't have to worry about him giving them information, I'm sure someone is seeing to it that he never speaks a word about us."

Hans listened and could tell that Greed made sense but he still wanted to argue, this was his one chance to get a throne. His brothers all placed him on the bottom, making fun of him, bullying him, he wanted to show them that he was just as man enough as they all were. Yet somehow things never went his way, what were the odds that Anna would be able to find her sister in an ice storm while freezing to death? What were the odds that that ice harvester would be with someone who could outmaneuver him and two bandits? What were the odds that a _Prince _from a foreign kingdom brought an _Elemental _with him the night they staged the attack. It was as if the heavens above were against him, it just wasn't _fair. _The only thing that was in his favor was the man next to him, Greed had saved him and stood by him. He already did what he was paid to do but he did more, the man could easily have left him in Arendelle but chose to return and help him get away by ship.

If Hans ever got a kingdom to call his own, Greed would be the first person to benefit from it.

"I understand, and I thank you for all that you've done. But there's one thing I want to know." The bandit leader had a curious expression on his face but said nothing prompting Hans to ask his question.

"Why have you done so much for me? You could easily left me behind but didn't, I hired you because rumors painted you to be efficient and cold blooded, yet you've _lost _money and men to keep me alive, why?"

Greed wasn't too surprised to hear him ask that question. Despite his attempts to keep the world from knowing his identity his bandit factions had been growing in infamy. Zavis never helped with his tendencies to go out of his way to cause destruction and hunt his prey.

Still, no one knew who he was or where he was from. Not even that oaf Ahimoth knew and Greed gave him a very big hint. Hopefully he'll run back to his father and relay information about him that would alert the other five to his activities. He didn't bother giving the Prince a fake name, his title 'Greed' would be easily recognizable to the other five who he hasn't seen or met them yet due to him leaving Blackdust shortly after being created. Father largely left him to his own devices with a few ground rules such as remembering to supply the loyalist soldiers who made up Rakat Veera's army, never open the crates he delivered to them, and to not hinder Pride in any way.

It honestly never made sense to Greed, currently Pride was on a campaign mopping up the very soldiers that the bandit leader was supplying. He was sure King Alrick had ordered the man to do so but Father was the only one who could actually hold a leash on Pride. The scores of bodies he left behind when he found them spoke for themselves, the man was death in a demon's body. Greed supposed that Pride could've just been trying to earn the King's trust but then what was the point of the bandit leader supplying them with these mysterious crates. A few bandits tried opening to crates only to be killed a moment later before they could pull the lid off, Greed tolerated many things but disobeying Father was not one of them.

The bandit leader had his own plans that Father never objected to, plans that would attempt to sate his avarice. That's where Hans came in, there was so much potential in the man that it would be a stain on his namesake to ignore.

"Because I have so much to gain by helping you. Tell me Hans, when you were being punished by your brothers they never stripped you of your claim to the throne did they?"

"No they didn't, they felt that humiliating me by having me tend to the horses and other menial labor was punishment enough." The Prince growled as he remembered their heckles as he slaved away.

"I see. So hypothetically if they met a gruesome fate than you would claim the throne. Of course the people wouldn't allow an assassin to rule them especially if the assassin killed his own brothers for power. However, if an invasion force attacked your home and you happened to lead your kingdom to victory, you'd be hailed as a hero."

That made Hans stop for a moment, the idea to usurp his own kingdom had occurred to him but he didn't know if he had the constitution to kill his brothers. They were always picking on him and making every moment of his young life a struggle but they _were _still family. His crimes in Arendelle warranted a more severe punishment than the one he served, where he just did menial labor.

Besides his emotional hesitation about killing them there was the fact that there were _twelve _of them.

For him to be able to ascend the throne all twelve had to be killed and it was rare to get all of them in one place at one time. His brothers could be off completing diplomatic missions to save their relationships with the kingdoms allied with Arendelle. That was a saving grace when he was being punished that not all of them were there to get a piece of him. After completing his punishment, they let him out on a short leash, being accompanied by guards at all times to ensure he didn't concoct any more schemes. The only reason he was able to break away and make his move on Arendelle was because he was able to get his guards drunk and snuck away to enact his plan.

However now that he failed and Arendelle knew he tried to take their kingdom…

Hans instantly started to panic, all Elsa needed was to write one letter and his brothers would know of his second attempt. They spared his life once, he doubt they'd do it twice. He instantly forgot Greed's hypothetical scenario as he started to pace again trying to think of a way to save himself. All the while the bandit leader watched him with an amused expression. Greed knew exactly what he was thinking, in fact he planned on it, regardless if Hans succeeded in taking Arendelle or not, his brothers would know about it and wouldn't let him remain on the throne. What the Prince didn't know was that Greed had already met all twelve of them. Entitled, power hungry, shortsighted fools they were, normally he'd be able to manipulate them but there was one problem.

They were all content with waiting to get what was coming to them.

When Greed found that little tidbit out he instantly deemed his visit to the Southern Isles worthless and started to leave until he noticed Hans shoveling horse manure. He could feel the demeaned Prince's greed demanding that he would not rest until he rise above his current position. It was so refreshing to feel someone who wanted _so much more _that what they had, Greed had to hold himself back from going down there and taking him right then right there. He didn't because he knew the more the Prince slaved away the stronger his greed would grow, so he left Hans where he was but not without some supervision. When Hans finally managed to get a long enough leash to leave the bandit leader made sure to exploit the opportunity, his bandits had to challenge his guards into drinking contests as well as bar fights to isolate his target.

When they did he managed to slip some information to the Prince about a group of bandits who were quite efficient as well as enjoyed their jobs so much they were enough for him to afford. Now in the aftermath where Greed _had _lost one of his most useful pawns he gained another one who he could completely see what was on his mind and control as he saw fit.

Realizing that since he didn't take Arendelle's throne, Hans had no choice _but _to make a move against his brothers. If he wanted to get ahead in life, now was the time. The problem was where could they find an invasion force large enough to actually pose a threat to the Southern Isles? Not knowing the answer, Hans turned to Greed who still had the same expression on his face.

"So where do you plan on finding this invasion force that would make me a hero?"

"Don't worry about that matter, it's already been dealt with. Now, you're going to need a force of your own to repel the invasion. To that end, we're going to a kingdom that both is an ally to the Southern Isles as well as an enemy to Arendelle. When you succeed in taking the throne, they will support you in your attempt on Arendelle."

As he said that, the fog lifted and a kingdom came into view. Hans squinted his eyes for a moment before they widened and he turned to the man next to him.

"Weselton, but aren't they Arendelle's closest partner in trade?"

"They _were _until after two of their soldiers failed to assassinate Queen Elsa, causing her to break off trade for them and stuck a blow to their economy. It also helps that they're stuck in the old ways were magical beings like Elsa were to be burned on a stake. Putting that matter aside, you need to focus on convincing them to support your kingdom during the invasion. My bandits will be disguised as Southern Isle guards to not arouse any suspicion and will be under your command."

As he said this the bandits all started to change into uniforms that Hans recognized as his own guards. That raised an alarm in his head as a thought appeared in his head he couldn't help voice.

"You planned all of this when we first met didn't you? My failure at Arendelle, me having no choice but to usurp the throne, this invasion on my own kingdom, all of this from the very beginning?"

Greed got off the rail and stood to his full height as his expression changed into one that hid his thoughts but showed the erie red eyes that Zavis had. "I like to cover my bases."

Hans couldn't stop the shiver that went down his spine as he actually considered that he was being played by someone who was much more cunning than he gave him credit for. Objectively speaking, he had a lot to gain if all of this succeeded, but what would stop the bandit leader from turning on him and taking everything for himself, his odd name suggested it was possible.

"So let's just say this all works out and I have both kingdoms, will that be the end of you helping me or is there something more you want from me?"

"It all depends, if you decide that you're content with what you have, then I will leave after taking a hefty sum for my services and I'll never interfere with you again. However if you want more…"

Greed leaned in and flashed his teeth in a large smile that Hans couldn't help but step back when he saw they were all fangs instead of human teeth.

"...Then I will ensure that you get everything you desire as long as you maintain that craving. To me, nothing is more satisfying than being around someone whose greed matches my own. You are one of the rare few I've met in my lifetime to have that much. It's intoxicating to feel your desire for more grow, mine was stifled for so long by the people who were in charge of me. I'm still on a leash where I can't indulge in my own avarice, so I'm going to let you do it for me. As long as you maintain that hunger then I will do everything in my power to ensure you succeed, but make no mistake. I _am _using you, if I had to choose between my life and yours then you _will _die. If I am in a position where I could lose _everything _then I _will _kill you that is my nature."

Greed leaned back and Hans could see his teeth revert back to human teeth before he turned his back to the Prince.

"You have a kingdom to save, the invasion will happen soon and your brothers will be out of the picture in good time. When you dock, keep my involvement a secret. As I said earlier Weselton has little tolerance for magical beings so me being there would be detrimental to the plan. I will contact you before the invasion and advise you on how to win the battle, the citizens of the Southern Isles won't be harmed. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to attend to some matters. Good luck."

_Father never said I couldn't use some of Rakat's army when I needed to. I just have to make sure not to run into Pride._

And with that Greed faded away in black dust right in front of the shocked prince who seriously began to wonder who or what he was dealing with.

* * *

When Ahimoth walked through the doors and saw him, Edward could see that shock was on his face but the growing feeling of anger began to roll off in waves. He wasn't surprised to see the large man walk down the steps and didn't even attempt to avoid the punch that made him hit the ground.

"You got a lot of nerve showing your face in front of me, yesterday something came up and I indulged in fighting alongside you for old times sake but that doesn't change the things you've done!"

Edward heard the gasp coming from Anna and could see that both her and Kristoff had a worried expression on their faces. Lilian knew this was coming so her face was neutral but Elsa's bore into him and she gave him a slight nod. He knew this was coming ever since Elsa convinced him to face the Prince last night. They spoke well into the night about it and the entire time he was comforted in her arms.

Not bothering to wipe the blood that went down the side of his mouth, the young man got to his feet only to be given a savage uppercut. Edward took a few steps back but remained on his feet. He turned to the furious man and stood his ground, if Ahimoth wanted to get his anger out by physically taking it out on him then the young man would gladly be a punching bag.

Fortunately, those two punches brought down the inferno of anger that rolled off the Prince down to a level where he could actually hold himself back for a moment.

"Why are you here, I know Lilian told you I was leaving today. You could've avoided facing me if you just waited but instead you decided to come down here and confront me just as I am about to leave."

The ache in his jaw made it difficult to speak at first but at least the Prince was giving him a chance to explain himself.

"I wanted to apologize to you, for everything."

The burst of anger gave Edward a warning as another punch got him across the cheek, but before he could fall a hand grabbed the scruff of his collar and kept him upright.

"You think a simple apology can make up for everything you've done? You think all your victims will be satisfied that you came here today just to say sorry to _me?_"

"Of course I don't, I've agonized on my sins and know that I can never make up for them but at the very least I can let you know I'm sorry for all the things I've done."

Ahimoth's anger still burned brightly but Edward found himself being shoved to the ground instead of another strike.

"You've agonized over your sins? Me and my father are the _only _two who can possibly understand the magnitude of what you did. Our kingdom may have labeled you a traitor but to us, you've done more than just break our trust. You took what we held dearest and turned it against us to give that tyrant an advantage. I couldn't believe what you did when I was told, I desperately wished that you would never be capable of the atrocity you were accused of. I could forgive you stabbing me and leaving me for dead, I can forgive that you sided with Rakat's army, but I can't forgive you for completely exterminating the Mystic Guard. You will answer me right now, I want to hear it come out of your mouth what you did."

Here was the hard part, admitting what he did to the one person he was afraid of most. Edward wasn't afraid of his father, he wasn't afraid of his brother, he was afraid of the one person who went through hell and back with him. Rearranging himself in a kneeling position with his hands on his thighs and his head raised he took a deep breath.

"Did you kill the twenty remaining members of the Mystic Guard?"

"Yes."

"Why did you betray us and side with Rakat's army?"

"I was ordered to."

"By who?"

Edward could barely hide the spite that came out of his mouth as he spoke.

"Father."

Ahimoth narrowed his eyes and looked like he wanted to know more about why Edward would listen to that man but focused on his current train of thought. The next sentence that came out of his mouth was like pulling teeth but he _had _to know once and for all.

"Did you massacre the families of the Mystic Guard?"

Edward could hear everyone suck in their breathe at the question. Kristoff and Anna surely wouldn't have known but he thought Lilian would at least had an inkling of what he did. Perhaps there were some details of the civil war that was kept secret. He wanted to look away from Ahimoth's face, even with all the anger that flowed from the large man, there was a _small _twinkle in those green eyes that hoped he'd say no.

"Yes."

The Prince's face scrunched up in emotional pain. It wasn't enough the kid he fought alongside with had killed his comrades. His best friend just had to murder innocent women and children who supported their husbands and brothers as they fought and died to protect their home and family.

Anna couldn't help the horrified gasp that escaped her lips as she covered her mouth. Kristoff's jaw remained wide open as he tried to imagine the guy he worked with everyday killed innocent people. Lilian was also in a state of shock as she heard that such a kind man could do such a thing.

Behind all of them was Elsa, her expression was one of sadness. When he had confessed to her last night he broke down into even deeper sobs. He said that he remembered every one of their faces as he cut them down, they ran as fast as they could but to him they were slow. Farmers had tried to stand against him but they were all killed in an instant. Some tried begging for their lives but his body continued to carry out its orders, not one of them was to survive.

When the remaining Mystic Guard found their families dead because of their comrade, anguish turned to unbridled wrath that told him _exactly _where they were. The soldiers that sided with Alrick were appalled that the King would order civilian executions. Even if they didn't know he did it, there wrath was easy to trace. In that one night, Wrath knew where every soldier that opposed Rakat was and with Pride gone there was no one that could stop him. If Alrick hadn't defeated Rakat when he did and Father hadn't ordered Wrath to oversee the evacuation…

Edward shivered at the thought of striking down his old commander.

Elsa had to remind herself that she wouldn't hold what he did in the past against him. She wept more when he admitted that he tried to kill himself multiple times only for his body to react. The blonde knew that Ahimoth was the grieved party and harboring a war criminal was a very large stain on any kingdom's reputation but Arendelle had no extradition laws and despite the numerous attempts her council made in her establishing them she refused.

Legally speaking, Ahimoth couldn't take Edward back to Blackdust to be put on trial, however her savior was more than willing to return to Blackdust even if it's to be executed.

"Why would you do such a thing?"

"I was ordered to."

"Why did you follow those orders?"

"I couldn't refuse."

"Why not?"

"Because the order came from Father."

"You hate your father, why would you listen to his orders?"

"The Father I mean isn't Talib, there's someone else who we call Father because we were made from him."

Ahimoth raised an eyebrow in confusion, when Edward said 'father' he immediately thought of the chief alchemist in Blackdust. Talib of the Tainted Wisdom, was someone who dedicated his life to abnormal studies. He gave little concern to personal matters, such was why he treated his children more like test subjects. The Prince knew the man didn't care who ran the kingdom, only that he'd be left alone. When Edward said that his father commanded him, Ahimoth could see the man giving his son his orders without a care if it meant he could continue his research.

However it wasn't him who ordered Edward to commit those crimes.

"I'm going to give you one chance, explain everything right now…"

Edward's eyes widened as Ahimoth walked past him and looked towards the sky with his back to them. His anger was still ablaze but it Edward could feel it wasn't entirely directed at him. It was like the Prince was trying to hold it back to hear our what he had to say before the large man fully committed his anger to his old friend.

"When the civil war started, I sided with you and your father because you two were the closest people I had to a family. I didn't care about my father and my brother was somewhere else entirely so you two were all I had. I fought to make sure you two survived but there was one thing that I would put first before Alrick's goal to remove the King from power. Finding my mother's killer, the entire reason I joined the Mystic Guard was to prepare for him. Apparently Rakat Veera was hiding away my mother's killer and when your father's forces outmatched his, he decided to release that monster. Do you remember the day we were staging ambushes for their troops in the Dark Forest a couple of miles away from the castle when our troops started dying to that flash of black dust?"

Ahimoth kept his back to the young man to keep him from seeing what he was thinking but answered quietly.

"Yes."

"As it turns out, my mother's killer wasn't entirely human. The black dust that attacked us was an early version of Wrath. It was more primal instinct compared to tactical knowhow. Any caught in its field of vision would be sliced up without hesitation. As it killed our troops, I tried to attack if and avenge my mother's death. Needless to say, my anger made sure I was sorely outmatched. It toyed with me for a time before finally growing impatient and stabbed me through the chest. For some reason it wanted to watch the light fade from my eyes as it held me up so that we were eye level. How it didn't notice that I kept a grip on my sword I'll never know. As it was holding me, I felt the strength leave my body but I knew I could at least get one final attack before I passed on. While we fought Wrath we were barely able to wound the monster, and those wounds wouldn't heal as it continued dashing around. I hoped I could drag this monster down to hell with me when I stabbed it through the heart and watched it flail in pain. The last thing I remember was hearing my father's voice, it could've been before or after I woke up in his lab…"

Ahimoth remembered hearing that his friend's unit was attacked in the Dark Forest and was killed in action. Rakat's troops took the region and took the bodies before they could be recovered. The Prince remembered saying he wouldn't rest until he found a body but the other creatures that the King had under his control left him with little hope of his friend's survival.

"...I woke up and my body was changed to what you see now. At first, I was in complete control of my new body and noticed all the changes it had undergone. My father kept me confined to his lab where not one soldier would enter the room. He ran test after test, informing me that Rahim was dead and that I would now be called Wrath. For a while it didn't dawn on me what he meant but it did soon after I heard _his _voice. It boomed in my ears and brought me to my knees, I could feel my soul burning as I was forced into the deepest part of it. It was like I was a floating thought in my head when my body got up on its own. I could see through my eyes but I couldn't move my body. I could hear the voice call itself Father and ordered that Wrath was to exterminate the Mystic Guard including their families. I wanted to refuse to force my body to refuse but I watched as it did what it was told and carried out its task without hesitation. The moment all you knew that your families were killed _I _knew, Wrath could feel all of your anger and waited for you all to charge the castle. I could see every move they made like you all were telling me ahead of time, my body made quick work of the remaining twenty. When you arrived in the room to see me, I tried my hardest to gain control of my body. It must've seemed like an instant for you, to me it was an eternity. I tried so hard to drop my sword but the moment it sank through your chest I was covered in despair. I thought I had killed my best friend, my will was completely broken as my body left to do what Father bid. It took time, too much time until I was able to wrestle control of my body again but the damage had been done, and no matter how much I wished it so, it would always be there."

Edward finished speaking as the Prince remained quiet. Everyone remained quiet as they took in the full story. If Edward spoke the truth then he was forced into becoming something he was not and committed crimes he wouldn't have done otherwise. Usually people would consider this outlandish and that he was just insane or trying to play off the blame. However Ahimoth had read the reports of swirling black dust before Wrath attacked and he saw that both Edward and Zavis had black dust swirling around them.

There was also the fact that he himself was alive right now.

The Prince had seen what Edward could do with a sword in battle many times, that stab to the chest was one of his signature moves. He generally used it to finish off immobile opponents. When Ahimoth ran into that room, he had his guard down completely. That coupled with Edward's speed and technique, it was a miracle he was even alive right now.

_This Father person. Rahim being dead then returning as Wrath. _

There were too many things to consider, if Edward was telling the truth then he wasn't at fault for things he did but they _were _still done.

"Is Wrath still alive inside you?"

Ahimoth knew the answer but he hoped the young man would say no.

"Yes."

The Prince turned around with a neutral expression on his face, the anger he had a few moments ago had smouldered but his eyes were cold. It seems he had learned the lesson about controlling his emotions.

"Then you leave me with no choice. While it throws into question the number of conspirators in the war crimes committed during the civil war, you still confessed that you murdered three hundred innocent families. Despite the King's open arms pact where soldiers will not be judged based on which side they chose as long as they are willing to serve Blackdust…"

Edward's eyes widened, he never knew about that. If it was true then he might actually be able to return home and attempt to make up for the things he did.

"... however your crimes cannot be excused. As such as the King's acting voice in trade agreements in foreign lands, I pronounce you guilty. You are hereby banished from Blackdust, if you step one foot into the kingdom you will be executed."

The young man had expected those words but actually hearing them felt like there was a lead ball in his stomach. Maybe Ahimoth felt that it wasn't his fault what happened but the fact was Wrath was still guilty of the crimes and he _was _Wrath. All Edward could do was face his former Prince and bow his head accepting his words.

"Is there anything you'd like to be passed onto someone back in Blackdust? Your father, brother, or perhaps the King himself?"

"Please apologize to the King and my brother in my stead."

Ahimoth said nothing as he gestured for Lilian to come with him who walked by Edward giving a last look before boarding the carriage. The Prince then turned to the royal sisters and ice harvester and slightly bowed his head, before getting into the driver's seat of the carriage and prepared to be off.

Anna after hearing everything couldn't help running to Edward's defense just as the Prince was about to leave. "Banished?! You heard that he had no choice in the matter! He shouldn't be punished for something he couldn't have stopped, it's not his fault that he died and was made into something else!" The Prince didn't bother to turn around as he answered.

"Regardless if he meant it or not, he commited the crime therefore must be punished. If the King was here he'd agree, we must be accountable for our actions. Letting a dangerous killer back into the kingdom would invite nothing but chaos, the people would revolt until they had his head on a stick."

Anna was about to say something else but Edward grabbed her wrist and she fell silent. Ahimoth said one last thing before the guards opened the doors and he was on his way.

"Queen Elsa, when I learned that your people forgave you for the incident at your coronation, I honestly felt that perhaps there was hope in me forgiving Rahim. However, my friend died in the Dark Forest and was replaced by the very demon that killed him. I spent all night thinking about it and it finally came to me, he may look like and act like my friend but he's not the person I once knew. If you still require any assistance with your prisoner, I can have men here in two days to assist you. I thank you for your hospitality and wish you good fortune in your future."

The large door closed with an echo leaving the courtyard quiet. Edward remained with his head bowed for a moment before releasing the redhead's hand. The Princess couldn't help but kneel down next to him and put a hand on his back as she could hear him let out a sigh.

"Hey it's alright, you can stay here with us. We don't think all those things were your fault, right Kristoff." Anna turned to the stunned ice harvester and gestured that he backed her up. The mountain man shook off his shock and walked up to the two of them and kneeled on the young man's other side.

"T-that's right. You've been with us for a while and you've been in control all this time. Maybe you could ask Elsa to teach you some tricks if you're worried about it."

Edward really appreciated their attempts but to be honest he was at a loss. He didn't know what to do, he knew that he should travel somewhere where he could be alone in this moment his mind was blank. He had faced his friend and admitted all of his sins. That resulted in him being banished and Ahimoth finally saying the words he thought to himself the moment Wrath took his body.

_Rahim is dead. _

Wordlessly, Edward got to his feet and began walking toward the front gates.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to pack my things and board the first ship out of Arendelle."

Anna was about to chase after him when he answered her question but Kristoff put an arm around her shoulders.

"What are you doing we need to stop him!"

The mountain man looked down at the red head with a sad expression. He knew this day was coming better than the sisters did. He wanted to convince his friend to stay but the hopeless look on his face said it all. Nothing they could say or do would change his mind. It was the same expression he made last night when the mountain man said he should tell the Prince he was sorry last night. Yet here he was the next morning doing something he thought he couldn't. The ice harvester turned his head slightly to see Elsa standing at the top of the stairs with a sad expression on her face.

"We can't do anything to change his mind Anna. You knew as well as I did that he planned on leaving when he could, now just happened to be that time."

Anna looked ready to argue but found herself being gently pushed toward the castle. As the two passed Elsa who didn't seem to want to move, Kristoff spoke before going back inside.

"You know the Lumberjack's Heart has some well priced rooms. With what I make in my ice harvesting business, I can easily afford a room with less than a quarter of my wages. Room twenty two is surprisingly sparse just a few collared shirts and a coat for the cold. If you hurry you might be able to get there before the occupant can leave and get his room."

The platinum blonde looked at the large man with some confusion and a little blush on her cheeks as he winked at her before pushing in Anna who seemed to be very interested in their conversation.

* * *

Far in the mountains of a foreign kingdom a man was hiking through the trials that led up the mountain. He wore a black vest sleeveless vest with thick pants that were tucked into his boots. In his hand was a large double bladed sword that was almost as tall as him with a spear shaft for a hilt. The weapon easily dwarfed the built man but he carried it with no effort.

There had apparently been reports of unknown soldiers basing themselves on the summit of the mountain he was on. These could be only rumors nethertheless he was sent to ensure they were. Such a task was beneath a man of his standing but he did what he was told faithfully. After that long voyage following his conquest of such an unworthy challenger he needed to cool off before heading home.

The weather was blazing hot despite being winter time for most kingdoms so cooling off might've been difficult. The scenery was nice he supposed, better than burning buildings and bodies on the ground. The birds chirped as he walked past and he lost himself in nature's music. He almost forgot why he came up the mountain in the first place as he enjoyed the sounds but remembered instantly when his ears picked up the sound of a rifle firing.

Quickly placing his large weapon in front of him to act as a shield, the bullet bounced off harmlessly as the man could hear the shooter curse. The man was on the shooter before he could reload, one was all he needed to heft up the marksman by the throat. Judging by the fear in the shooter's eyes he knew who the man was, that made things easier.

"One chance, tell me where the rest of the soldiers are hiding and I'll let you go."

Before the marksman could even answer, the sound of a cannon being fired filled the air. The man slid his eyes over toward the projectile and made no effort to dodge. When the large ball hit his position, it exploded in what seemed to be gunpowder sending blood, smoke, and bone fragments flying. Higher up on a cliff overlooking the trail the cannon crew's commander peered down at the smoke with a smirk on his face.

"So this is the mighty Pride, the man able to crush an army by himself? Walking out in the open without a care in the world, the other factions must be weak if they couldn't deal with one man."

The man began to laugh as he watched the rain of smoke began to clear and revealed a blood splatter and blown limbs. His laughter died when Pride remained in the exact position he was in before the blast went off. In his hand was the head of the marksman that he was talking to earlier. From what the commander could see there wasn't a scratch on the guy but his clothes had some rips showing his tan skin.

Pride looked up at their position and simply pointed with his large weapon at them before tossing the head over his shoulder and continuing his leisurely pace up the mountain. There was no rush, the only way down the mountain was the trail Pride was currently on. He supposed they could climb down the cliffs with ropes to avoid him but from what he felt from the cannon commander as he took his time making his way up the mountain not threatened by them in the slightest, he hurt their pride and they were going to face him head on.

_Looks like I'm going to need a new change of clothes again._

* * *

**Hey guys hope you all enjoyed the chapter, drop a review please. Gears 5 coming out in 4 days! I'm going to be spending a LOT of time playing it but I will attempt to continue my weekly updates. On the 18th I'll be gone for 4 weeks so like I said before, I will try to get the main point of this fanfic before Frozen 2 drops. **


	17. Chapter 17

Edward couldn't help shoving the door to his room none too lightly. After the debacle of him seeing Ahimoth, he left the castle without turning back to see the looks on his friends' faces. When he walked through the castle gates his mind led his feet toward his room as he avoided everyone who walked in his path. As he walked past the dock, Mr. Jorgen attempted to get his attention only for the young man to ignore him as he walked home. It was when he made it to an inn where there was already a brawl between two drunks that made his blood boil.

He could feel their alcohol induced rage as they fought one another, both of them trying to prove who was the toughest guy in the room. Edward _hated _having Wrath in his body, the monster inside yearned for violence which he tried to avoid as he traveled in between towns. However in this moment where Ahimoth banished the young man from his home and foolishly hoping that he could return with the Open Arms Pact, his control was slipping.

When Edward felt one of the drunk fighters bump past him after being knocked down, the young man's eyes turned red.

It took three moves.

The first was grabbing the back of the nearest drunk's collar and wrenching it back with just enough force to not tear his shirt but pull the man. The second was wrapping an arm around under his arms and lifting him up before slamming him down on a table, knocking him out. The third and final move was turning to face the other fighter who was stunned at the display then running at him and clotheslining the man as Edward passed. The result was instantaneous, both men were out cold and everyone in the inn froze as they watched the young man stride across the room and up the stairs.

When he finally made it into the sanctuary of his room, he sat on his bed and raised a hand to massage his temples. For some reason he couldn't calm down right now, his eyes continued to bleed red as he ran through all the techniques he learned to quell his anger. He went from breathing, to meditation, to imagining katana stances, and wringing his fingers. So far nothing worked, he even tried putting all of his anger in one punch that completely destroyed his dresser.

_Now they know what kind of monster you are._

Edward loudly groaned, of all the times Wrath wanted to speak and torture him, it'd be _now? _The demon had been quiet recently, letting it loose in the bandit cave and using its abilities seemed to have satified it for the time being. However now that the young man's emotional state had been significantly unstable from seeing the Prince, the demon couldn't help itself.

_All this time you've been here slaving away, you could've made your way up that mountain and slaughtered all of them but no you decided to hide like a coward._

"Well it was a good thing I didn't because I don't think I'd be able to fight Zavis as well as a cave of bandits." Usually Edward didn't speak back to Wrath, one of the blessings he had was Wrath couldn't read his thoughts and vice versa. The demon fed off his emotions and could guess what he was thinking since it did have access to his knowledge and memories. The very few times they communicated was as warnings to one another, most of them from Edward were not to hurt an innocent person while Wrath threatened him every time he made a suspicious move that could kill them both.

_Envy was weak, you were an embarrassment while fighting it. With my abilities you should've been able to kill it with minimal effort, instead you focus on restraining yourself with foolish notions._

"Retaining my humanity isn't a foolish notion."

_It is when you realize humanity's history is filled with nothing but war."_

Edward didn't have an answer for that, Wrath's been around a lot longer than even some kingdoms. When he found out the monster that killed his mother was a previous version Wrath, he dug for any reports on the demon in his body. Apparently Wrath was the accumulation of wrathful souls throughout time, gathering and fighting until only one soul remained. His father had somehow managed to create a means to bond a foreign soul into another body. The first time he created Wrath, it went wild and killed many people.

According to him, it took months to finally control the demon and call it off before sealing it away. When it was released on the previous King's order to suppress the rebels, Talib remarked he had no clue where the demon would go. When it was brought back dying with Edward in tow, the alchemist had to bind the demonic soul into his son's body to save it. During the process, Edward was able to look into the mind of Wrath and see everything it had went through in a few moments, there was no emotion or thought in the demon's mind, just a predatory instinct to kill. There was however one block in its mind that Edward couldn't access.

The night Wrath killed his mother.

Edward knew it was Wrath and the demon confirmed it a few months when it first spoke to the young man. He wanted the demon to die so much he didn't mind killing himself but Wrath wouldn't let that happen. It took a long time for the young man to come to grips that his mother's murderer was in his body preserving his life. It helped that he ignored the demon most times but kept an eye on it as Wrath began to transform from a mindless predator to an insightful killer. Maybe when they exchanged thoughts the demon managed to teach itself with the young man's memories. Or perhaps it didn't care to develop such thinking in the years it's been alive. Regardless, the demon was intelligent enough to know what buttons to push to get Edward to lose control and give it back to Wrath.

"You already destroyed countless lives with my body, I'll die before you have full control and can shut me in my mind."

_It's not up to you, when Father degrees it, it'll be so. I haven't been ordered to do anything past ensuring Rakat's army's survival. That's why it never even occurred to you to tell Ahimoth about their locations when you spoke with him. _

Edward kicked a nearby chair causing it to explode into splinters. It honestly didn't occur to him to tell the Prince where the remnants were. If Wrath could manipulate his thoughts to this extent, how much control did the young man really have? All this time, he had some slips but he thought he had it under control. He was a peaceful kingdom and completely hid the demon inside of him from anyone else. He managed to call on Wrath when he wanted and use its abilities in conjunction with his own skills. If the demon had _let _all that happen to boost his confidence...

As he started pacing Edward didn't notice his vein beginning to crawl up his arms as well as black dust swirl around his fingers. He tried calming down again but to his growing agitation, he only got angrier. The black dust coated his fingertips before red sharp claws began to grow out of them, his hands grew red as they resembled a beast's instead of a human. The young man didn't seem to notice as Wrath prepared itself to once again take over its host's body. The demon realized that forcibly trying to take over Edward was pointless. His attempt in killing them by pulling out the stone that housed Wrath's soul made that point clear. While it was able to dissuade the young man from attempting that again, the struggle the demon had to put up was exhausting.

Them not being able to read one another's thoughts was a double edged sword. If Edward had known the acute fear that rippled through Wrath when he found out about the stone, he'd most definitely attempt to take it out again. The demon could only fight enough to make the young man pass out once, but once he got back up, Wrath wouldn't be able to do anything. Realizing this the demon, played on Edward's fear of losing control. It bluffed saying it would continue to cause that burning sensation until it gained control of their shared body when Edward was weakened.

Wrath was under no illusions that that bluff it made would last indefinitely. Edward was no imbecile, sooner or later he would figure out a way to kill them both if Wrath pushed him far enough. That's why it was paramount that the demon take control and find a way to completely erase the young man from this body as it had done to all the others. In all the time Wrath had been with destroying other souls and adding their wrath to its, Edward was the first to fight off the process. It didn't know how but it was like the young man's soul could not be found for it to destroy. Perhaps Talib would have answers but he was in Blackdust where Edward had been banished from.

Wrath had a good amount of control but it knew that it couldn't manipulate the young man into going to Blackdust. There was far too much emotion in his head to be controlled so subtly. The only way for them to get to Blackdust was if Wrath was in complete control. Unfortunately for Edward, his emotional state right now was weak, and in a few moments the demon would be able to take over. Wrath was like a crouching wolf ready to pounce at the opportune moment and it was _so _close that it didn't notice the smell of winter peppermint coming from the other side of the closed door.

Soft knocks interrupted the young man's pacing as a melodic voice traveled through the wood.

"Edward are you in there?"

The young man man's feet carried him across the room as his claws turned back into human hands and Wrath raged in its own mind at the person behind the door. Just hearing her voice was enough for Edward to regain his control when the demon was _so _close. Wrath was happy that the young man couldn't read its thoughts, if he could then he'd rip the stone out of his chest right in front of the woman.

_The first person I'm going to kill when I get control is that ice Elemental, I can't risk her erasing my hold over him. _

Edward opened the door and was surprised to see Elsa standing there with a relieved expression on her face. It seems that she was worried he had already left Arendelle, he might have if he ran or was in a hurry. The young man couldn't meet the blonde's eyes as he thought about leaving.

As he confessed to Kristoff, he actually learned to like Arendelle and the people in it. If he was being honest with himself, he didn't want to leave but knew he had to. He wasn't confident in his ability to hold Wrath indefinitely, the most he could do was live somewhere far away where it'd take the demon time to find another living person, time he could use to gain control of his body. Now that he knew that he couldn't return to Blackdust, he could spend the money he already had and buy passage to another land. He had told the mountain man he would say goodbye but felt that after admitting to everything in front of them there were no more words needed.

Elsa had came straight here after a moment of considering what she would say to convince Edward to stay. Everything she had come up with she'd already used and didn't make the young man budge. She knew he was afraid of controlling the demon inside him and that fear would lead to disastrous results as they did her. She thought about offering to help him get control but there was one fundamental difference between her and him.

Her magic wasn't trying to control her every second of every day.

She wouldn't tell him but she was outside his door for a moment and heard him talking. She thought somehow else was with him but she couldn't hear another person speaking except him. The blonde guessed it must've been Wrath talking to him. Elsa didn't know what to say, she wanted to believe if people like her can control her powers then it was possible for someone like Edward to control his. However she truly didn't know, until a thought occurred to her.

Maybe Grand Pabbie could help.

The old troll had correctly prophetisezed what would happen when she grew up. He told her that there was beauty in her gift but also great danger and that fear would be her enemy. Her parents tried taking precautions in isolating her and for a long time she couldn't help but languish that decision. She didn't blame her parents but if she was totally honest with herself, she felt they feared her more than what they showed.

Perhaps Grand Pabbie would be able to give some type of advice that could help the young man. For her it was 'Love Will Thaw' and that made a lot of difference in her life.

"I'm happy I caught you before you left. There's something I wanted to talk with you about that could help you." Edward appreciated he _really _did but he had to stop himself from scoffing, there was no helping him. His body was the host of a homicidal creature that would remain that way until the day both of them died. Her attempts to make him stay were quite confusing, sure they were friends and he saved her life but that wasn't enough to explain why she was so keen on having him stay.

As much as it strangely hurt to admit they weren't close, she knew the ugly details of his life and a few quirks about him but that was it. She didn't know him, the _real _him, the one who spent his life training to avenge his mother and didn't let anything stop him from achieving that goal. Wrath may murdered all those innocent people but Rahim had killed many men on the battlefield and left villages burning in his wake.

Elsa was kind, so kind that Edward couldn't help but shake his head. A lot of people would take advantage of that kindness, he himself had multiple opportunities to do so. If he were a lesser person, he could've been living it up in the castle and stolen Arendelle secrets to sell to the highest bidder. He could've killed her and her sister in the night and get away without anyone knowing until he was long gone. From what he knew of Arendelle's history, they haven't been in a war for sometime. They're military was primarily guards and not soldiers, even with the diminished state Blackdust was in right now, an invasion wouldn't be too difficult. The only ace Arendelle had was Elsa and her kidnapping proved that she may be powerful but she wasn't battle ready.

It wasn't his business but from a soldier's standpoint, Arendelle was weak. Elsa was smart to gather allies who were obligated to defend her kingdom should she be attacked by her very small list of enemies if she even had any.

_She wants to use you as a weapon._

That thought _had _occurred to him a few days after meeting her. She knew very little about him yet offered him a room in her castle as well as dinner to a total stranger. Such a move was unwise and puzzled him, he thought she might have wanted something from her but then he recalled how Kristoff described her and how the village felt around their Queen. She was loved by everyone, that was rare in a kingdom. For a monarch, a young monarch to be loved by the people was unheard of. Most would be trying to prove they were worthy of the throne by engaging in wars to have the most territory. Elsa on the other hand focused on what she already had and improved upon it. Her new education system for orphans, lowered taxes for traders, and public festivities were only but a few things that she changed after she took the throne.

Arendelle was peaceful, him being able to sense wrath and anger from others around him added to that. While he was here he could go _days _without feeling a hint of negative emotion from people he walked past on the street. There was of course a whiff of it every so often, they were only human, but it wasn't enough to warrant his focus. Someone who could create such a peaceful place would have no use for a weapon like him, the benefit of added security was there but the rumors about her was enough to dissuade most. If she could learn to be battle ready then he'd be obsolete.

If she could freeze an entire kingdom on accident imagine what she could do on purpose if properly trained. Pride himself probably wouldn't be able to get to her if she was able to freeze the region he was in.

"Your Majesty, I appreciate that, but there's no helping me. I have enjoyed my time in Arendelle but as you've most likely seen on your way here, I have little control over myself." The blonde _had _seen the two unconscious men downstairs in the bar area of the inn. When she asked what had happened and was told that a man matching Edward's description put the two men down so quickly she was relieved he was here yet somewhat worried to know he was violent. The guards that accompanied her wanted to be with her when she went up to his room but she ordered them to stay at the end of the hallway to give the two of them some privacy.

"You've been without incident since being here and it's alright to slip up every once in a while. I woke up yesterday and froze half my guards and the castle because I thought they were all imposters again." Edward didn't know about that, maybe it was when he was unconscious in the infirmary. It was good that she could freeze her men and her power was strong enough to freeze the castle after the long day she had previously.

"Be that as it may, you haven't killed anyone with your abilities." Edward tried closing the door but was surprised to see that it wouldn't budge as the blonde kept her neutral expression. Looking toward the door hinges he noticed that they were frozen solid, it seems that the young woman wasn't done speaking.

"You're right, I haven't killed anyone with my magic. But don't think it's because I had control over them or that they aren't dangerous. The only reason I never killed anyone with my magic was because my _sister _got lucky." The sudden drop in temperature was apparent as people from nearby rooms walked out to see what was going on. The sound of heavy boots shuffling reached the young man's ears but stopped when the blonde raised a hand while keeping her eyes on him. On the outside she may seem like she was completely composed but the cold air around her said otherwise.

Edward wordlessly stepped to the side and allowed her entry into his room which she accepted. As she passed the hinges on his door thawed out completely which allowed him to close the door giving them privacy. He could hear hushed voices on the other side of the door as the heavy boots took up positions next to it, probably to rush in should they need to. The young man turned back to the woman who still had her face set in a neutral expression but her eyes gave away that she was hurt.

"When my sister traveled up the mountain to save me, I struck her with my magic that froze her _heart_. She was going to die unless she found an act of true love. When Hans captured me and brought me back to the castle, he told me she was dead because of me and my world fell apart. All I could think was how sorry I am and that I would gladly trade places with her if I could. When Hans drew his sword to kill me, I was in so much grief that I wanted him to do it, to end my pain so I could get what a monster deserved. Anna put herself in front his sword and froze solid on the spot, for a brief moment I felt her life being snuffed out. To see her concerned stare frozen on her face because of me was the most painful feeling I've ever had. Maybe it was God's mercy or some miracle but she thawed a few moments later, her act of true love saved her from being killed by _me…" _Edward hadn't heard that story before, it was almost uncanny how similar they were.

"...The guilt and pain you must've been feeling now I've felt and I wouldn't want to wish that on anyone. I know that you are a kind person who…"

"You don't know me."

Elsa stopped talking when she heard the dead tone in his voice as he gave her a cold stare. Most would've been intimidated but the blonde was not most. She already had a feeling of what he would say and already had a response.

"Just because I told you what I did doesn't mean you know who I am and what I've done. I was a soldier before I became Wrath and I've done many things in the time of war. You know nothing when you speak of what kind of person I am."

Edward expected the woman's face to fall at his words but to his surprise a more determined expression crossed her features as she took a step forward and made him look down as she stared up at him.

"Really then, if you are suggesting that you are a horrible person then why save Kristoff?"

"I was paying him back for picking me up."

"Why turn down a room in the castle?"

"Didn't need to indebt myself to you."

"Then why come up a mountain to save someone you barely knew?"

Edward began to rack his brain for a reason of why he would do such a thing. He barely knew why he did it in the first place, his body just moved the moment he thought Elsa was in trouble. Once he knew she was being kidnapped, there wasn't one thought of running and leaving her to her fate. His mind was focused on rescuing her despite being on his own and having a murderous demon inside him. The other two questions she asked he had logical answers to dissuade her thinking he was a kind person. If she talked to Kristoff she'd know how he conducted himself daily and would reinforce her idea that he was that kind of person.

He didn't want her feeling she needed to help him, she had bigger things to worry about than him. When he couldn't think of a reason he was about to shrug but she beat him to it.

"Why risk yourself by sending me away and fighting Zavis and ending up in the infirmary after knowing full well what he was capable of? If you weren't the kind of person I thought you were you would've ran a long time ago but instead you put yourself in harms way for my sake. Look me in the eye and tell me after everything you told me before that I don't know you, if you can do that I won't stay in your way and leave you to yourself."

The first time he said it, he wasn't looking directly in her eyes. Now that she was so close that he could barely lift his arm and touch her, his mouth dried up. Those crystal blue eyes bore holes into him that he couldn't deny had an effect on him. He could study the extremely small details of her face from how close she was, to his surprise she had a light dusting of freckles on her face that no one could tell unless they were this close.

He wanted to force the words out so she would unburden herself with his situation but he couldn't do it. No matter how much he screamed at himself to say the words, to lie to her face, her crystal blue eyes wouldn't let him. With a sigh he sat back down on his bed and put a hand over his eyes as he remained quiet for a moment.

Elsa said nothing as she crossed her hands and patiently waited for him to speak. What she proposed would be useless if he himself didn't want to do it. When she stared him down, her heart was hammering in her chest, partially afraid of what he would say to her bluff and _marginally _because of how close they were. She sincerely wanted him to trust her and allow her to help him, even if he did end up leaving.

If she could see that charming smile he showed her when they talked about Shakespeare then she'd be satisfied.

_Not for myself of course. _

The quickly added after thought made a slight blush color her cheeks but she willed it away thinking that it'd be nice if he was happier around other people.

"What do you have in mind that you think will help me your Majesty?"

"Elsa."

Edward slightly uncovered his eyes to show his confused expression.

"Pardon?"

"I'd like to think we've been through enough for you to call me by name rather than my title."

Edward was reminded of how Anna said the same thing when they first met. He was surprised to hear it from the redhead but hearing it from the blonde who was a _Queen _made his mind blank for a moment before shaking his head. A Queen like Elsa was very rare indeed.

"Alright Elsa, what do you have in mind?"

* * *

Dead bodies laid scattered all around the summit of the mountain Pride was on. His vest had been completely ripped to shreds showing off his impressive physique. His hands were caked in blood as he sat on the edge of the highest cliff on the mountain, not at all worried about the hundreds of feet of air under his dangling feet.

The remnants of Rakat's army in this area were surprisingly more of a challenge than Pride originally thought.. The charged him over and over despite seeing him cut down their comrades with a single sweep of his large swordspear. They used cannons and rifles that didn't slow him down in the slightest. Surprisingly not one soldier considered the thought of retreating, usually after slaughtering half of them, they'd fall back. These soldiers charged relentlessly, as if they were directly trained by Asger the Crusher himself.

_Speaking of that brute…_

Next to him was a broken body of the remnant's leader, both his legs as well as his right arm had been crushed. Pride had to take extra care to not kill the man, but all the same he disabled him so he wouldn't run while the victor of the battle relaxed and enjoyed the view. It was an hour before the leader regained consciousness and the first sight he took in was the dismembered bodies of his soldiers lazily thrown around the dead battlefield.

"Your soldiers fought well considering who they were up against. I actually had to think about my moves as they all rushed me. Some of them actually managed to hit me a couple of times you should be proud."

The leader turned to see Pride sitting on the edge of the cliff with his weapon impaled into the ground next to him. Angered by the fact this smug son of a bitch was sitting and gloating over the dead bodies of his comrades, the leader began to crawl with one arm. He couldn't do much but the least he could do was push that asshole off the edge of the cliff, even if he was dragged down with him.

Pride knew full well what the man intended but did not move from his perch. When the leader got close enough, he feebly tried pushing the man only for his wrist to be caught in a firm grip.

"I spared you because I wanted to ask you a question. Every other leader of Rakat's army killed themselves before I could thoroughly question them. So this time, I decided to immobilize you so that I may ask you this question. Since death is off the table you are honorbound to answer my question, I wiped out your entire force on my own. Rakat Veera and Asger's view on strength demands that you submit to me as I am the strongest in the military. Even though you broke away from King Alrick's rule you still wear the colors so you still follow the code."

The leader wanted to deny his request but he was right, Rakat Veera's code stated that the strongest shall rule. Pride had defeated all of them and was no doubt the strongest. Killing himself was the only thing he could do to deny the man answers but he couldn't move. He could bite off his tongue but the firm grip on his wrist began to get tighter the longer he stayed quiet. With his pride damaged, he lowered his head in defeat.

"What's your question?"

"Where is Father?"

"I don't know."

The sound of his wrist snapping made the leader howl in pain as Pride kept his face firmly turned to the scenery past the cliff. Apparently the man didn't want to hear that answer and was giving the leader another chance because his grip loosened and the leader felt his pinky being pressed up against Pride's thumb. The leader took a moment to adjust to the waves of pain before he spoke.

"It's true, none of us know where Father hid himself, the only clue to his whereabouts is him saying he needed an alchemist who had the forbidden knowledge."

That definitely sounded like someone Pride knew.

_Seems me and dear old father finally have something to talk about. _

Remembering he still held the leaders hand in his grip, Pride let go and heard the groan of relief behind him as he stood up off the cliff. He picked up his weapon before finally turning and allowing the injured man to see his red eyes. "Well that does point me in another direction, I appreciate your help, to show my gratitude I will now do what you tried a while ago." Pride picked up the leader by the scruff of his neck and walked to the edge of the cliff until he was one footstep away from falling. The leader had no fear in his eyes, Pride spared no one for long, his death was guaranteed when that demon walked up the mountain.

"Pushing me off a mountain wouldn't have worked anyway but seeing is believing in my opinion so when the force of your body jerking to a stop snaps your neck you'll have a few seconds to see why it wouldn't matter. Better not waste them."

And with that Pride walked off the cliff disappearing over the edge.

* * *

In Blackdust's castle was a room that was in the deepest catacombs on the large structure. The old and dank atmosphere would make people think it was a dungeon of some sort. To some it was but to the main occupant it was his workshop. Talib of the Tainted Wisdom hated being interrupted when he was researching something. He rarely left his workshop, preferring to dedicate all of his time to his work, never once showing any interest in other human affairs.

Today he was working on a corpse, it was of a soldier who died a few years ago in Elysion. The tattered Mystic Guard uniform gave away the corpse's identity. The King would be furious if he knew that Talib was messing with the corpses of his fallen soldiers but the fool was too busy bowing to the whim of the council he created to shift the government from a militaristic absolute monarchy to a constitutional one.

Talib couldn't care any less if he tried, Alrick never attempted to recover the bodies of the two hundred soldiers who died in Elysion leaving him to secretly order their retrieval himself. The ones under his control would recoil in disgust when they found the corpses but the alchemist didn't bat an eye at their state. They would be useful in what he had in mind. The organs and muscles had all decayed of course but not to the point where they couldn't be salvaged.

The alchemist spent days and days going through one corpse after another turning them to dust and ash until he finally broke the last wall that was between him and success. Today was the day after forty-two failures, the corpse got off the table on its own. The dead flesh that showed through the clothing strained to keep it upright but it could walk, fantastic results indeed. With no hesitation, Talib picked up a sword that was laying off to the side and chopped the corpse's head off watching its body fall to a heap on the ground.

The alchemist watched and watched in silence. He was still for five minutes before going over to a notepad and was about to write failure number forty-three when he heard the sound of shuffling behind him. Turning slightly, Talib watched in satisfaction as the corpse began to right itself without a head. The alchemist retrieved its head and gently positioned it back on the corpse's shoulders and was happy to see black dust forming around the neck and fastening the head back on the corpse's body.

He made another breakthrough, now he was one step closer to his goal. Father may have ordered him to keep to a schedule but he had done his duties and now was doing his own work.

_Speaking of Father…_

Talib left the corpse to stand there for a moment as he went to his desk where he opened up one of the many notebooks on the desk. He flipped through the pages until he came upon one of the first reports he wrote when he first started. He should've updated this report a year ago but was too busy at the time getting his affairs in order. Now that he had made a breakthrough in Father's plan it reminded of him this particular report he made roughly ten years ago. He quickly skimmed through the old report and laughed at how little he knew back them compared to what he knew now before picking up a writing utensil and began to write.

_The Elemental's abilities have grown at an astonishing rate in the last decade, since it's parents asked me to evaluate them. The shackles I built had no hope in containing the Elemental's magic, given it's emotional instability. Further observation will be required to determine if it will be a threat to future plans. For now no attempt should be made against the Elemental until sufficient information has been gathered. _

Talib then remembered something before jotting it down in a little note.

_The ice Elemental's ability to breathe life into its creations will need to be studied carefully before being able to replicate and apply to own endeavors. _

The alchemist closed the report before returning to his corpse as he remembered what was written at the top of the page.

_Subject 12: Elsa of Arendelle. Result: To Be Determined. _

* * *

It took some convincing but Edward was now sitting in stables with Sven as he waited for Elsa to return. It didn't take her too long it seems as the door opened and he turned expecting only the blonde to walk in. He was somewhat disappointed to see Kristoff, Anna, and Olaf walk in behind her. Disappointed might not have been the right word, he liked them but he didn't want to tell them goodbye.

There was one condition that she agreed to when he said he'd try out her suggestion was that she wouldn't stop him if he wanted to leave. She may not have noticed but she made the cutest frown as she considered it, one second thought she might've hoped he'd cave when he saw the expression. Unfortunately he didn't budge and she agreed but that didn't mean she couldn't bring people to help her.

Anna and Olaf instantly launched themselves in warm hugs when they saw him in the stable. He returned them both before giving Kristoff a firm handshake.

"Let me guess, Elsa brought you three to convince me to stay didn't she?"

Kristoff shrugged before answering. "Well she needed me to show you two the way to get where you two needed to go, Anna and Olaf couldn't help not trying one more time getting you to stay."

Anna went up to her boyfriend's side with a determined expression on her face. "Yeah, I know we can figure this out together. If Elsa can do it you can too!" Olaf chose that time to speak up with his ever childlike happiness. "She's right, I don't want you to leave, no one gives piggy backs the way you do!"

Edward couldn't help but chuckle as he bent down and picked up the snowman again and putting him on his shoulder. "Well I do plan on leaving but I guess I can give you one last ride before I go." The snowman couldn't help but squeal in happiness at being tall again. The young man turned toward the three who were smiling at the display before asking.

"So where are we going."

Kristoff moved past him and began hooking up his sleigh as well as putting Sven in front of the two horses. The reindeer finally was able to ride again and they would be going back home. "We're going to the Valley of the Living Rock where I grew up. The trolls I mentioned might know a way to help you with your problem as they did with Elsa. I warn you though they may seem a little strange and overbearing at first but they grow on you."

When everything was ready they all loaded in the sleigh with Kristoff, Anna, and Olaf in the front while Elsa and Edward sat in the ice bed in the back. According to the mountain man it wouldn't take them too long to get there especially with three animals pulling the sleigh. As they rode through the forest the three in the front took up most of the talking while the two in the back enjoying the passing scenery.

On the way a heavy bump made the sleigh violently jump that made Elsa end up in Edward's arms as he grabbed the railing to stabilize himself. The two blushed at how close they are and attempted to disengage from one another when they hit yet another bump in the path causing them to end up in the same position. Resigning themselves to the ride, Elsa remain close to Edward as he gripped the railing preparing for another bump. In the driver's seat Kristoff shot Anna an exasperated look as she tried looking innocent but failed miserably as she stole a couple glances to the two in the back who was turned away from her.

As the ice harvester said the scenery changed to moss covered rocks surrounding them. Kristoff went deeper inside until there was a small archway of rocks ahead of them. Announcing they were here and dismounting the sleigh he tied the horses to a nearby rock before untying Sven and helping Anna down. Edward awkwardly let Elsa out of his arms as he jumped out of the sleigh and held out a hand to help her down. She took it with a slight blush then followed him as the six of them went through the archway.

The walk was short when they arrived at an open valley that had steam flowing from the cracks in the ground. Elsa and Anna smiled when they saw Kristoff and Olaf0 get excited and started talking to moss covered rocks that littered the valley. Edward on the other hand looked confused, he expected to see large trolls stomping around like the ones he heard about in stories but none were to be found. Instead, his friend who he thought had a good head on his shoulders was talking to _rocks, _he excused Olaf because he was like a child but still the sight distrubed him a bit.

He turned to the two women who were trying very hard not to laugh at his confused face it wasn't until he heard the rocks beginning to rumble did he turn around. All at once all the rocks started to roll past him toward the middle of the valley where the mountain man had his arms spread out in greeting. When they reached him, they did the most curious thing, they unfolded two arms and legs revealing a head with two eyes and large ears.

It was quiet for a moment before the entire valley erupted in joyous shouts.

"Kristoff's home!"

The mountain man got swarmed by the trolls as they doted on him like a son. It was kind of sweet honestly if not a little off putting. He could now see why Elsa and Anna found his confused expression funny, he'd probably laugh too if he could see someone else look at Kristoff like a madman while he talked to rocks. The young man didn't notice when one of the trolls turned and saw Anna and if he thought it was loud before, the volume doubled when someone shouted.

"And he brought Anna!"

The Princess was immediately thrown off her feet and carried over to Kristoff who caught her when they threw her over. She received the same treatment as the mountain man as they started to dote on her as well. Elsa couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped her lips as she watched. This was only her second time here so she didn't expect the same enthusiastic reception as the two in front of her. There was only one troll she needed to see.

And it seemed he knew it as well.

Elsa and Edward turned behind them to see an old troll slowly making his way to them. The young man could tell by the troll's expression that he was far older than the others and could sense the gravity of his situation since the creature had been intently staring at him.

"Queen Elsa, it is good to see you, I hope you've been well." Elsa could see that Grand Pabbie only wanted to retain his manners but he couldn't keep his eyes off Edward who met the stare unflinchingly.

"I have and it's good to see you too Grand Pabbie. This is Edward, he's having a problem that I was hoping you could help with the same way you helped me."

"You mean of the entity that is inside, yes I've seen this before, very dark magic indeed. Usually one cursed in such a way would not retain their former self but this young man is different."

Edward tried to get an idea of what the old troll was thinking, he hadn't taken his eyes off the young man since revealing himself. The look in his eyes wasn't fear, nor was it anger caused Edward would've felt that, instead it looked like he was remembering something from long ago. Perhaps he was, the troll had said he's seen this before and he was right in saying that usually hosting something like Wrath would've erased one's former self but Edward managed to keep his self intact somehow.

"That's why I'm here, even though I'm still myself, the demon inside is trying every minute of every day to take over. Elsa seems to think you have a way that can help me control myself and keep the demon from doing that."

Grand Pabbie look pensive for a moment as he considered something.

"There is a way to subdue what is inside of you but it is very dangerous. First you must understand that the entity inside you _is _you now and there's no changing that. No matter what you do it'll always be a part of you, you're finding it difficult to control because you feel it is separate from you when it is you. When you can come to terms with what you are, control will come more naturally."

"So you're saying that I accept that I am a murderous monster who enjoys tearing people apart? I am so glad I came all the way out here to hear that."

Edward didn't mean to sound snappy at the troll but he couldn't help it when he heard _that_. How could he possibly accept the thing that killed both him and his mother was him now and that embracing it would get him control. From what Grand Pabbie said, he should go out and let Wrath go wild on innocent people. What a load of bullshit. Edward was ready to turn on his heel and walk back to Arendelle and board the earliest ship when Elsa grabbed his wrist and halted him.

"There's more isn't there Grand Pabbie, you said it'd be dangerous, how dangerous do you mean?" Edward was intrigued, he let the troll's first sentence fly over his head when he heard that he and Wrath was one in the same. He didn't think to ask what would be so dangerous, the troll said he must _first _understand, what came after that?

"Yes, I'm aware that accepting the demon inside you would be difficult. That's why I was going to suggest you face the demon yourself and discover you two are one in the same. It is possible you can overpower the demon by force and wrestle more control but it would only be temporary, to truly gain control you must learn to accept the demon. However, doing so is extremely dangerous, bringing that entity to the physical plane opens up the danger that the two of you can be killed. If you two venture too far from one another you'll both die, I can contain the two of you in a space so you can confront that part of yourself. But remember, the hate you feel toward the demon is most likely mutual, so there's a chance it could use this opportunity to overpower you. I can stop it before it gets that far but there are still many dangers."

Edward considered Grand Pabbie's proposal for a moment. Facing Wrath was dangerous given his track record. Last time he faced the demon, he died and had his body taken over, what would happen this time? He also didn't want to put anyone in danger, but the thought of forcing Wrath to submit was alluring. Maybe it was the demon talking but the young man crouched down to the troll's eye level before speaking.

"Are you sure you can contain the two of us and stop things if they go too far.?"

"It'd be better if you discovered on your own that there's only you in your body but yes I can do so without putting anyone else at risk."

"Then let's do it."

Elsa couldn't stop the worried expression that crossed her face as she and Edward followed Grand Pabbie. Kristoff, Anna, Olaf and Sven managed to pull themselves away from the excited trolls to follow the three of them. They all ducked into one of the tunnels that was around the valley and it led them to an open room with red crystals lining the walls giving them light.

In the open room was two stone mounds across from one another, Grand Pabbie raised a hand for everyone to stop. "This is where you go alone, sit on the stone and your other self will face you. We will remain here just outside the room, I will seal the room so neither of you can leave and will only step in when I feel you're in too much danger." Edward nodded and was about to step into the room when the troll grabbed his leg to halt him again.

Grand Pabbie turned to Elsa and noted her concerned expression. "He will require a weapon your Majesty." The woman looked caught off guard with the request but quickly shook it off before creating an ice sword and handing it to the young man. Edward took a couple of swings with it and frowned, the weight was off and he could tell the blade was dull.

"Elsa, I need the blade and handle to be thinner. Also this needs to be sharper, I know this might be your first time creating a weapon but if what Grand Pabbie says about this being dangerous I need to be prepared." The woman focused more on the weapon and watched it shrink a bit so that it resembled one of the thin swords she saw in Captain Stonewell's office once. Sharpening the blade took more effort but it was enough for the young man to accept as he walked into the open space and knelt on the stone mound. He shot his friends a quick reassuring smile before turning ahead and was surprised to see something kneeling across from him on the other stone mound.

It was a creature that was red and scaly, its body was built with thin muscle that had red claws on its hands. Its legs were covered by the same pants he wore himself. Its neck was thick with muscle and its face had no nose just a large array of sharp teeth. It was the eyes that made him recognize the creature, the irisless red eyes he's never seen before but the way they made him feel gave him no question who was sitting across from him.

"_It's nice to finally meet you face to face, I am Wrath." _

* * *

**Hey guys new chapter, I know its a bit rushed but I've been playing Gears of War 5, don't judge me XD. I'll write a more quality chapter next week then after that I'll be gone until October 18th, hopefully I have more reviews when I get back. **


	18. Chapter 18

When looking into a mirror, most of the time you see a perfect reflection of yourself. You may be surprised you look a certain way every so often but you always have an idea what you see when looking in a mirror. When you break said mirror, that image shatters and you can only see parts of yourself but you still can make out enough to know that's you standing in the reflection.

When Edward looked across from him and saw the creature, he didn't recognize it. The monster that had killed him wasn't what he saw back then. The creature had a resemblance to a man when they last met, the thing in front of him looked nothing like a man only a demonic predator waiting to pounce. Hearing it speak still made his blood boil but he remained seated, if this thing was anything like what he faced last time, getting hasty and making a move without thinking would be fetal.

Wrath looked around the cave lazily before snapping its head over to the exit. Its eyes scanned Edward's friends before landing on the old troll who met its gaze readily. Rising up with poise and grace, the demon revealed to be much taller than an average person. It took a few steps that easily crossed the room before stopping just shy of a few feet from the onlookers. Without taking its eyes off the troll, the demon raised a hand and attempted to touch the old creature only to come up short when the air vibrated and pushed its hand back. Testing the invisible field Wrath dragged its claws along its boundary but could not see any gaps.

"_I'm really not the first sin you've physically encountered am I, who came before me?" _

Grand Pabbie expected a snarling voice to come out of the demon's disturbing mouth but the voice was almost identical to Edward's but had an underlying harsh tone. What was somewhat disturbing was the fact that the demon's mouth didn't move when it spoke, sound just escaped the ever present fanged smile. Wrath was right, this wasn't the first time he's seen an entity like this, part of the reason the trolls were shrouded in legend was to avoid more creatures like this being made. When the Queen brought the young man, the old troll could instantly feel the dark magic that swirled inside the man. Part of him was about to raise an alarm and tell everyone to evacuate quickly in fear of the young man already being taken over.

However that wasn't the case, Edward's body did exhibit dark magic but it was contained and stuffed into the recesses of his body. It was an odd phenomenon and intrigued the troll so he decided to meet with the young man and see if he could find out what was different with him. When he learned that Edward didn't know himself and was seeking help to control the entity, the troll was disappointed. He wished that what he said wasn't true but it was, the young man and entity were the same being, the only reason they could talk to one another and have separate personalities was because they both refused to think of the other as themselves.

"I've been around a long time, there have always been those who go against the natural laws and create something they don't understand. You are hardly any different except the fact that your host's soul didn't submit to being devoured when you two first joined."

Wrath finished scrapping its claws against the barrier before kneeling once again so it could better see the troll. The demon didn't need to look to know that the other three humans were staring intently at it. It was honestly tempted to roar at them to see how much it could scare them but the steady flow of anger behind it stayed the demon's hand. Wrath knew Edward would strike at a moment's notice if provoked in any way and with his emotions getting the best of him, the demon would see the attack coming.

The problem was the troll watching him intently, if things got too out of hand, Wrath would be sent back. This was a rare opportunity to be separate from Edward, its host was a rare find of course but the continuous self loathing was irritating. To Wrath, killing was like getting out of bed in the morning for most people. Required little effort or thought but was necessary to go about one's day. While the demon could remember all the souls its devoured over the years never has it ever thought what it was doing was wrong in some way. Its master at the time would always send Wrath to destroy their enemies and rein it back in whenever the demon finished its task.

After joining with Rahim and gaining some knowledge, the demon could see that its life was that of a caged animal. Only to be released whenever its master deemed it necessary. There was no emotion in Wrath, just the predatory sense of where its prey was and the waves of wrath that guided the demon. When it first joined with Rahim, Wrath decided to peer into its host mind before devouring the soul. The knowledge it gained was useful but there were brand new emotions that came along with it. Perhaps Rahim's emotions were tied to his knowledge so absorbing one would get the other.

At first the demon tolerated it but soon the emotions began to feel disgusted and hatred to the demon itself and frankly annoyed it. So Wrath tried to devour the soul and shut off all the emotions but for some reason it couldn't. Luckily the emotions seemed to go to Edward and cleared the demon's conscious but the self loathing that radiated from its host was a constant thorn in its side. Now with them separate for a short time, Wrath's soul was its own with no lowly human emotions weighing it down. The demon liked the peace and didn't want to cut it short because it frightened the troll, so it would play nice for now.

"_I'm as surprised as you, out of all the hosts I had, his is the only one I couldn't devour whenever I wished to. Its irritating but I'm sure it won't be forever, its only a matter of time before I completely take _over."

"That won't be possible, as I told Edward, you two are the same being. You cannot devour yourself, I can only sense one soul from the two of you. I don't know if it was originally yours or his but the bottom line is you two only have one soul together."

Wrath cocked his head like a confused child and remained silent for a moment mulling over the troll's words. After a moment the demon shrugged in a way reminiscent to Edward before replying.

"_Won't stop me from trying."_

Wrath then turned its head to the other spectators before its crimson eyes landed on Elsa. Slowly rising to its full height, the demon took languid steps until it was standing in front of the woman then pressed its head against the barrier to get closer. Its eyes locked with hers with an intense gaze that made the hair at the base of her neck stand on end. The demon's face may have been stuck in that predatory smile due to its fangs being so large but the woman could tell it wasn't smiling right now because it wanted to. For a moment, it was quiet until Wrath finally broke the silence.

"_Are you afraid of me?" _

The question was spoken without a hint of malicious or sarcastic intent, if Elsa closed her eyes she could've easily mistake the sincere tone for Edward's. She couldn't help but consider the question, rationally the answer was yes. The woman even admitted it when she was kidnapped that someone who could cause such brutality should be feared. She told herself that Edward didn't mean it and the thing inside of him did but now that she could physically see the monster the young man always talked about, she broke eye contact and didn't know how to answer.

Wrath seemed to take that as her answer as it turned with a savage violence and disappeared in a haze of black dust. Edward couldn't get his sword up in time before a clawed hand grabbed his face and slammed him into the ground before bodily throwing him across the cave. Blood dripped out of the young man's mouth when he hit the wall so hard that cracks formed from the impact. The demon didn't seem remotely done as it once again disappeared before reappearing with its claw raised, ready to strike down the young man.

Edward's body was still numb from being thrown so hard that he could barely watch the claw race towards his head. His weapon was laying on the ground shattered into a thousand pieces, he didn't even realize it had left his hand. The young man remembered Grand Pabbie's warning that they could both be killed right now and that the demon might use this opportunity to overpower him. Right now he could feel that Wrath didn't care about taking over his body, right now, the hurricane of anger that gushed off the demon showed that it wanted his life more than anything.

Grand Pabbie having seen enough, slammed his hands together and Wrath instantly disappeared before its claws could remove Edward's head. The troll let down the barrier and hurried over with everyone else in tow to check on the young man for injuries. Aside from the bruise forming on his back and a little trouble breathing, Edward was fine. Elsa was surprised, she had known that the young man was quite strong and fast but Wrath was in another level entirely. She had looked away only for a moment and by the time her eyes looked back, Edward was against the wall with his opponent raising its hand to finish the job. Judging from Anna and Kristoff's expressions, they hadn't been able to track the demon either, thankfully Grand Pabbie was able to and stopped it, otherwise their friend might not have survived.

"Are you alright?"

Edward rolled his shoulders, the waves of pain rolling down his back was irritating but manageable. He ignored the troll's question, his mind was thinking back to when he fought Wrath in the past. The demon was fast and far stronger than a human but back then he could hold his own, today there was no contest. The only reason he could he even attempt to raise his sword to defend himself was because he felt a massive wave of anger after the demon asked that question. He didn't hear Elsa's answer but whatever it was, Wrath expressed so much anger that his soul shook.

"Edward."

Waking up from his thoughts, the young man turned to the Elsa who had a worried expression on her face. Realizing he didn't say anything, he nodded to the troll and moved to stand up but was surprised to feel his body resist the movement. Surely he wasn't so damaged after being thrown once, but judging by those cracks in the stone wall, he was thrown with a significant amount of force. Kristoff seeing his friend small struggle, the ice harvester offered a hand which was graciously taken as he hauled the man to his feet.

"I'm fine, a little pain in my back and my pride is hurt but nothing too bad."

Anna wasn't convinced as she pointed toward the wall. "No offense but I think you need to learn the definition of 'I'm fine' a bruise or small cut is fine but being thrown hard enough to crack stone isn't fine. Plus you should know that I saw you cough blood out of your mouth when you hit the wall." The young man shrugged and tried to access his healing abilities…

Only to find out he couldn't.

Edward focused his thoughts and tried using them again only for it to fail, as if there was some kind of mental block. The young man tried to think of the reason why his healing wouldn't work but could only come up with one explanation. Wrath was blocking him somehow and wouldn't let him heal. The young man was about to ask why but stopped when a fresh wave of anger washed over him. The demon was pissed right now and wanted to be left alone, whatever Elsa did must've set it off because Edward has never felt so much anger coming from the demon itself.

Grand Pabbie could see the confusion on the young man's face, the troll could guess what was going through his mind. The last time the troll had seen someone with the same abilities as Edward, they could control a portion of the power the demon inside them had. A normal human would have some fractures along their spine given the amount of force Wrath threw Edward. He was likely trying to heal himself but was unable to. In his mind, he probably thought the demon wouldn't let him heal due to the anger it showed.

That wasn't true.

Had the young man accepted his words, he'd be able to control his abilities. The demon inside him was just another aspect of his personality that refused to call itself Edward. Wrath may have been its own entity before but now its only a manifestation of the young man's emotions. The exercise ended in failure but it did show one thing, Elsa had an effect on the demon.

"I think that is enough for one day, Edward you should take some time and heal naturally before attempting to confront the demon again. We will not be going anywhere and you can come anytime but I suggest that you look within yourself and attempt to find common ground with the demon."

Edward looked ready to argue that he was fine and that he be allowed to try again but the look on Elsa's face kept him quiet. There was worry etched into her face but also an accepting stare look that he knew meant she wouldn't stop if he really wanted to face Wrath again. Anna and Olaf were attempting to persuade him to not try again while Kristoff folded his arms across his chest with a disapproving expression.

With reluctance he relented, as much as he hated to admit it, Wrath was far stronger than he was when they fought. If they were to fight again, he'd likely lose and risked death, he may be seeking redemption but he would fight with every aspect of his being to not be killed by his mother's killer twice.

"Alright I'll leave it at that, thank you for trying to help but it seems Wrath is more dangerous than I thought. I need to find solitude so I don't hurt anyone else with my lack of control." Anna and Olaf looked ready to argue that he shouldn't try and be alone but the troll beat them to it.

"Solitude will not be your salvation, you can ask Queen Elsa what solitude does to a person, especially one with extraordinary abilities. You are free to do whatever you need to but I will say that you staying in Arendelle will do you good. Though brief I was able to get a sense of the kind of person you are when I brought Wrath to the physical plane. You're a soldier who has been stepped with hardship, perhaps someone who is the same will be able to help you find the answers you're looking for. Queen Elsa has struggled with her own abilities but has found peace with time, spending time with her will also be beneficial."

"And what's stopping me from loosing control? What do I do if Wrath decides its tired of waiting and takes over?"

"Even if that does happen, you will still be inside and just as it can control and influence you, you can do the same if the rolls are reversed. You've already resisted being absorbed by the demon that should show you that your soul is strong enough."

Edward wasn't pleased with the answer but accepted it nonetheless, the troll had logic in his argument. He could agree that Elsa had already tried what he attempted to do and firmly believed it wouldn't work. If he was being completely honest with himself, being in the middle of nowhere alone wouldn't alleviate the fear of being controlled. It would only buy him time to regain control his body if Wrath took over. Finding a way to conquer the demon inside him was out of the question, as far as he knew, his father was the only one who understood this subject. Zavis may have had some ideas but Edward doubted that even he knew how to become a human again. How this troll knew about this was beyond him, he remembered that Wrath had commented that this wasn't the first time the troll had met a 'sin' before whatever that meant.

There was more that Edward wanted to know about. "Wrath said it wasn't the first you've seen, who was the first?" The question made Grand Pabbie put his head down and look away. He looked to be considering something before he spoke.

"Long ago, before I was the oldest troll in this tribe when I was learning under my elder, my teacher had spent some time teaching a human who had stumbled upon our existence. I've never spoken to the human but from what my teacher told me, he was always obsessed with gaining more knowledge. My teacher taught him many things but there was one thing the human learned he shouldn't have. My teacher had told the human that there were more mythical creatures besides trolls out there but they had been wiped out throughout time. It was the reason that trolls remained hidden to keep from being exterminated by humans who feared what they did not understand…"

Elsa thought back to when she and her parents returned to the castle after visiting the rock trolls. Her parents had said that she was not to speak of their existence to anyone or it would invite great danger. As a child she thought they must've been over exaggerating but now after hearing that there were other creatures like the trolls who had been eradicated she now could see that the danger wasn't for Arendelle, it was for the trolls.

"…There was however one species of creatures that had no such fear, their original name had been lost to the ages but the closest name in your language would be demon. These creatures had no definite shape, they took the form of whatever soul they consumed. My teacher said these creatures had the ability to manipulate a soul as if it was an object to sustain themselves since that was their primary source of power. Due to their ability to devour souls, their life span was essentially indefinite unless they were killed enough times to expend the amount of souls they stored. Intrigued by this, the human traveled the world to find these creatures in the hope of extending his own life so he would be able to learn more."

Grand Pabbie stopped took a breath as he remembered what happened when the human returned. It was something he didn't like to remember but it served as a warning that he took to heart.

"Several lifetimes had passed until the human returned, he looked the exact same as the day he left which should've been impossible. The only change was that his eyes were red, when my teacher asked how he had not aged, the human said that he made a deal. The human sold a piece of his soul to the demons in exchange for the ability to manipulate souls. He also had to deliver an amount of souls every so often or his would be taken. Horrified, my teacher banished the human saying that no human should have that kind of power or use it in such a manner. The human didn't care about being banished, only that he have the knowledge that was in my teacher's mind. It was then he attempted to take my teacher's soul only to fail due to our combined efforts, wounded he retreated swearing he'd return. Knowing we couldn't just sit and wait for him to return, we left are home to find a new one, along our travels, we met an Elemental who had trouble controlling his abilities. My teacher distrusting humans after his student left the Elemental to his fate of harming those around him, I however intervened and offered council to the man. In time, the Elemental learned to control his abilities and live happily. Grateful for my help, he asked if there was anything he could do to repay me. I denied telling him that I couldn't stand by and watch someone suffer. It was months later when the human returned, only he brought something with him, a creature of great and terrible power. Somehow the human had found a way to transfer portions of a soul into a body to animate it, this creature was driven by the pure desire to hunt our kind. Any magic we tried was ineffective as it healed at an astonishing rate and continued to hunt us. We suffered heavy losses until a wave of ice froze the creature solid, the Elemental I assisted had come to our aid. It was then I learned a special fact about ice Elementals. Their magic had the ability to curse a living heart, other Elementals never had this ability their magic would just cause death if it struck the heart. The Elemental managed to freeze the creature in enough ice that it couldn't escape. As for the human, my friend cursed his heart telling them that his heart now matched what it contained, a cold person who only sought knowledge. The Elemental said that unless he found an act of love to thaw his cold heart, the magic would freeze it so they matched. Needless to say the human didn't take kindly to that and fled, I thanked the Elemental and we moved here. A couple of years later I sensed the Elemental's passing and that was it."

Edward couldn't help but think of his father, the human in story sounded like him. Always seeking knowledge, willing to do anything to further his goals, and being bitter whenever something stood in his way. There was also the fact they both had the ability to manipulate souls, from what Grand Pabbie described, the human had put a foreign soul into another body. He wouldn't be surprise if that was his father but one thing stood out, his father loved nothing. The concept of love to him was a 'human incentive to repopulate and motivate them to apply themselves.' That was his definition of love which was why Edward and his brother didn't receive a shred of it growing up. Hell, his mother had left his father and took him when she realized the only reason he had kids were to see if he could mold them to his specifications. If his father was cursed to freeze unless he found love then he would've been a block of ice a long time ago.

"That was almost four hundred years ago, If the human was alive, he would've attempted to try and find us but to the rest of the world we're a myth. My teacher died leaving the tribe in my hands, I've led my people to be of help but keep to ourselves to keep history from repeating itself. I would've thought that I would never see another creature like the one the human made again until today where I met Edward. Its just odd that you seem to have a complete soul versus the patchwork of souls that the human made when he brought it to our home to attack us."

Everyone took in the story with different reactions. Elsa and Kristoff had an understanding expression while Edward had a pensive one, Anna however was the only one who spoke.

"So what was the human's name, you know the one who made that deal?"

"He said he never had one but he always liked one word. To him, it was the pinnacle of what humans knew. The reason he wanted so much knowledge was to enlighten the humanity in accepting more than what it limited itself to. He felt that all humans were his children and that he had a responsibility to educate them, so he called himself Father."

Everyone's eyes widened when they heard the name. Father, as in the same Father who controlled Wrath. Edward's head began to spin, if the Father that Grand Pabbie could make creatures like him and always sought knowledge then there was no doubt that Father was his own father, Talib of the Tainted Wisdom.

_His title even fits!_

Edward didn't care that his father might've been centuries old, he wanted to kill the bastard if all his despicable acts were from his own father's orders. Even though he was banished, perhaps he could write a letter to Ahimoth telling him who was behind the massacre of their comrades. So many thoughts were swirling around in his head but he pushed them aside for now there was a lot to consider.

"So hypothetically if this Father guy was alive what do you think he'd be doing Grand Pabbie?" The elder troll looked to Anna who was trying to phrase it into an innocent question but her eyes gave her away.

"If he was alive he'd continue to seek more knowledge but he would be hunting in his spare time."

"Hunting trolls?"

Grand Pabbie then turned to Elsa who could already guess what he was about to say.

"And any ice Elementals who could potentially freeze his heart again."

* * *

Along the coast line of Blackdust where the ships that traded with Arendelle docked, there were guard towers to scan the water for threats. Inside these towers were cannons positioned in a way to use their elevation to increase their range on enemy ships. Soldier manned these cannons every moment of every day, keeping a vigilant guard over their home.

Today there were scores of dead bodies inside the towers. There was no alarm or fighting, only corpses of men who were taken completely by surprise. Men in black clothing similar to Zavis's outfit snuck through the guard towers and toward the capitol. They were dispatched by Father to carry out a mission, they had their list of targets. If they succeeded then Father's plan would finally be able to begin.

King Alrick the Mystic had ruled long enough, he was a thorn that required removal. The new council would not be spared, they forget their warrior heritage and will pay. Ahimoth was a fool and had no business prostrating himself trying to be an ambassador. Lilian was an Elemental that could not be left alone due to her magic.

Finally, Talib of the Tainted Wisdom was interfering with Father's plans and couldn't keep his creations under control.

* * *

The trip back to Arendelle was done in silence, everyone had much to consider. Edward was sitting in the back thinking of ways to sneak into Blackdust and get to his father without being seen. Elsa was a bit worried that this Father person would come to Arendelle looking for her and hurt her family. If there were more people like Edward who was under this man's control then her home was in danger.

Another thought was that Edward had humored her request so she couldn't stop him from leaving if he truly wished to. She chanced a look at his facial expression and noticed he had an irritated pensive face. Whatever he was thinking about must be upsetting him to look like that. She wanted to ask what he was thinking but thought better of it, he would tell them if he wanted them to know.

Arendelle's gate came into view as the guards saluted the Queen and opened the gates for her. Standing with a cigar in his mouth with a stern expression was Captain Stonewell. Kristoff halted the sleigh and everyone dismounted to approach the serious looking man, Elsa walked to front to address him first.

"Captain is there something wrong?"

The older man gave a small bow before pulling the cigar out of his mouth. "No Your Majesty, its just come to my attention there was a little mishap at the Lumberjack's Heart. When I went to investigate myself, the patrons described a young man assaulting two men and incapacitating them quite quickly. When asked for a description, I couldn't help but think of a young man who arrived here a little over month ago and was instrumental in your rescue and capture of your kidnapper. While I am grateful for his assistance, I cannot tolerate someone disrupting the peace."

Edward couldn't help but groan as he walked forward and faced the older man. He didn't have the time nor patience to deal with an old man flexing his muscles because he was the Captain of the Guard. When they had their little strength competition when they first met he should've learned that he shouldn't mess with the young man.

"Well then you should know that they were drunk and having a bar fight, while I'm sorry for hurting them, I stopped the fighting, where were your guards?" Usually men in Stonewell's position would have taken offense to that but he just took a puff from his cigar and leaned down to blow the smoke in young man's face. Edward's fist clenched as he considered knocking that cigar right out of the man's mouth with a quick right hook.

Elsa seeing this, stepped in between them to keep this from escalating. "Captain I am aware of what happened and agree that Edward's way of subduing the two men was a bit aggressive. I'm sure he'll refrain from doing such things again, so I feel It would be alright to just give him a warning."

"I apologize Your Majesty but the soldier in me cannot accept that which is why I'd like to propose something. Me and Edward spar at the barracks, if he wins he's clear and I'll drop the matter…" The Captain took another puff and stepped to the side and blew the smoke in Edward's face _again. _

"…he loses, he joins the Arendelle Guard and helps me turn them into actual soldiers instead of guards." Kristoff and Anna's mouth dropped at the proposal while Elsa looked surprised, while this was getting out of control they couldn't help but hope that the young man lost so he'd have to stay. Elsa had to protest though, Edward clearly had the advantage being a younger man, being a trained soldier, as well as having a demon increasing his strength. She knew the Captain could take care of himself but she didn't want either of them getting hurt over something this trivial.

"Captain I do not think this is necess…"

"Deal."

The platinum beauty stopped and turned with her mouth agape. Edward didn't seem to take getting smoke puffed in his face lightly and looked more than ready to put the older man in his place. He seemed to have forgotten his earlier defeat from Wrath and his injuries as he accepted the challenge. She wanted to stop this unnecessary violence but the two men were already making their way toward the barracks.

Elsa turned to Anna and Kristoff about to ask what had just happened but they looked just as confused as she did. It was Olaf who broke the silence with his happy go lucky attitude. "Everyone has been so feisty lately, I think we should give each other more hugs!"

It didn't take long for them to catch up with two men as the Captain went into the barracks to retrieve some weapons while Edward waited outside in a training field. Elsa instantly walked over to the young man and faced him with a frustrated expression.

"You do know this is foolish right, there is no need for the two of you to fight over something as slight as a bar fight."

Usually Edward would agree with her, but today has been a trying day and he was on a short fuse, when he got smoke blown in his face with a total lack of respect the fuse was ignited. He wouldn't hurt the man too bad, just enough to show that he shouldn't be trifled with.

"He started this and I'm going to end it."

The young man heard her huff in frustration as the older man returned with a weapon rack that was on wheels. He had shed his guard uniform for a short sleeved under shirt that showed off his well built physique, in fact he compared to Ahimoth's body, he was shorter with much more muscle built. He had on gloves worn tan gloves as well as thick green pants that were tucked into his black boots. Edward could see on his wait was a harness that held two small swords that he could tell were spadroon swords. Small yet sharp they were good for thrusting attacks but were incredibly fragile.

The Captain stood to the side with his hands behind his back, his cigar was halfway gone as he continued to take puffs from it. "Choose your weapon."

The young man browsed through the weapon rack as he passed over maces, shields, spears, knives, and axes. After a moment of searching he settled on a standard longsword, it was long and light enough to resemble his old katana so he would be able to be more comfortable with the weapon. Stepping away from the rack, he stood across his opponent as he got in his stance as he gripped his sword with two hands and held it vertically in front of him. The Captain drew his two spadroons then put a foot back before raising his arms eye length and crossing his blades downward in front of him.

Elsa realizing that they were going to use real weapons finally felt that enough was enough. "No this has gone too far, Captain I am ordering you to stand down, I will not have you two killing each other."

The older man didn't even face her as he answered. "We're only fighting till someone draws blood, from what I gather, Edward should be more than capable of defending himself against an old man. I would however like to apologize Your Majesty for disobeying you but I know to take an opportunity when I see one."

Before she could protest more, the older man had already closed the distance and slammed one of his swords into Edward's creating a loud clank of sparks. The young man was surprised at the amount of force from such a quick attack but was ready to push the blade to the side and strike. He didn't see that the Captain hadn't stopped advancing after clashing swords with him and was winded when a hard shoulder hit his chest.

The young man tried backing off to gain distance but he had to defend against two blades coming up with no pause after the shoulder bash. Edward was forced to let go of his sword with one hand to dodge the attacks as he danced away and out of the old man's reach. He was surprised by the ferocity of the older man's attacks but it was nothing he couldn't match. Focusing more on his opponent, the young man prepared to go on the offensive.

With one hand on his sword he was able to move faster as he unleashed a barrage of slashes that came from every direction. The Captain stood his ground as he block, deflected, and danced out of any and all attacks, his eyes never once leaving Edward's. the young man getting irritated that none of his attacks were connecting, started to increase the ferocity of his attacks. Wrath may have put a block on his healing abilities but body's natural strength that was enhanced after becoming one with the demon had the older man giving ground. It was only a matter of time before he overwhelmed his opponent.

Edward let out a vicious horizontal slash that the Captain had no hope blocking with one hand. The young man was surprised to see a spadroon, meet his attack but in that split second he felt his sword easily pushing his opponent's away. When it did, it would leave a cut on the older man's chest and the young man would win, the Captain shouldn't have underestimated his strength.

Unfortunately, he underestimated the Captain's skill and was caught off guard when the older man let his sword go slack so Edward's would slide along its length while he ducked under the blade. When it cleared his head, the older man savagely thrust his sword up and knocked the sword out of Edward's grip while spinning in his crouched position and sweeping the young man's feet from under him.

Edward felt himself fall and had enough sense to catch himself with his hand and hastily jump back before the older man could capitalize on his misstep. The Captain's earlier ferocity suggested he'd cut his opponent up into ribbons if he was able to knock them off balance the way he just did. Oddly though, he didn't advance, only straightened himself to his full height before sheathing his weapons. He even grabbed the cigar that was _still _in his mouth and took the last puff out of it before tossing it away.

The young man felt insulted that he wasn't being taken seriously and was about to attack the man with his bare hands when his sword impaled the ground right in front of him. The young man couldn't help but take another look at his opponent who seemed so very much composed after their short bout. If he didn't know better, it was like the older man knew that he where he'd back up to and knocked his sword where he'd stop but that was impossible, no one was that skilled.

"Tomorrow, I expect you to be up before sunrise in my office, everyday we will spar first thing in the morning and last thing in the day. During the day you will take a group of guards and instruct them in discipline and basic soldier drills, I will take the more advanced candidates and teach them intermediate skills. When I deem enough of our guards are enough to teach the others you will be free to go."

Edward had a confused expression on his face, the Captain had said they'd be fighting until they drew blood. Even though he was disarmed, there wasn't a scratch on him, the young man was about to argue they still had a battle to finish, he felt something warm on his arm. Looking down he noticed that there was a small nick on his arm, it was barely noticeable but enough for a drop of blood to slowly seep from the wound.

_When did he nick me?_

He knew It wasn't when the older man swiped his sword out of his hand because he watched the sword and leaned back in time to avoid the blade. That's when he realized the cut was on the same arm he used to catch himself when he fell off balance. He was surprised, he had the older man outmatched in terms of strength and speed, that maneuver he pulled was the only thing that was unexpected. While it did upset him a bit, he was beaten by the man and now had to keep up his end of the deal.

"Will I have time to ice harvest with Kristoff?"

The older man thought about it for a moment before nodding. "Your training session with me will be before you go and your instruction of the other guards will be after you return." The young man nodded as he placed his weapon back on the rack. He then turned back to the spectators who had a range of emotions written on their faces. Anna and Olaf looked happy that he'd be staying a bit longer while Kristoff and Sven had a surprised expression at the older man's skill.

Elsa on the other hand looked quite unhappy.

She was happy their fight was short and that no one was seriously injured but she was more than a little upset that the two men in front of her felt that they should fight over something so small. Marching up to the two of them she turned to the Captain first since he was under her military rule.

"Captain that was completely unacceptable behavior, first you bypassed my judgement then provoked Edward into a physical confrontation. You then disobeyed a direct order from me to continue with this farce and then you injured him. What do you have to say for yourself?"

The older man wasn't fazed by the icy tone his Queen used, he'd be pretty pissed if one of his soldiers pulled what he did but he had an opportunity that he'd be stupid to pass up. The young man was skilled enough to complete a rescue mission and capture a skilled opponent who dispatched many of his guards with no real effort. It brought home the fact the guards were soft in terms of battle and war. He could only teach so much in the time he had, it would be more expedient to have someone who was no stranger to war instructing his guards.

Also with Ahimoth gone, he could not get any information concerning the prisoner they currently housed. The only person who could possibly know this Greed character who was in charge of Zavis was the young man since he was from Blackdust. To him, gaining more information as well as a means to improve his men was worth disobeying the Queen because it would benefit Arendelle.

"I have nothing to say for myself, if given the choice again, I would disobey you. As you requested, I will ensure Arendelle's safety, this is a step toward that. I will not do to immoral lengths however I will use less than honorable tactics, I can promise you that I will limit these lengths in the future however I can't say there won't be times in the future where I must make difficult decisions without you knowing so I alone am held responsible."

His rather candid speech did not please the young woman but she supposed he was doing what she asked of him when she went to his office. She looked back at Edward who didn't seem to be upset about the arrangement, plus he _had _agreed to fight her Captain on his own free will and only had a very small injury. It could've been worse but the outcome wasn't too bad, she knew the older man wouldn't have done anything to hurt the kingdom but in the back of her head she wondered what he'd do if she herself ever constituted a threat to Arendelle. She supposed she could let him off with a warning but knowing how he responded to the snide comments she's heard the nobles send his way, he probably wouldn't care.

The fight deflated in her chest as she noticed he was at attention as always prepared to do what she commanded. Why did he have to be so loyal, why couldn't he be a crabby old man who she would enjoy to see leave?

"Just…try to avoid to engage in violence with anymore citizens in Arendelle." The older man bowed before walking away to wheel the weapon rack back into the barracks. As he left the platinum beauty then faced the young man who at the sight of rekindled a little of her anger at the situation.

"Don't think he's not the only one getting a talking to, you knew full well he was trying to provoke you and you rose to his bait. Not to mention you both used real weapons that could've ended badly. So please tell me, what do _you _have to say for yourself and unlike the Captain you can't use your duty to try and divert my ire."

Unfortunately for him she was right, he fought the older man, solely because he wanted a fight. After being soundly defeated by Wrath his pride was hurt and he wouldn't let an old man poke at it some more. What he didn't know was the old man was probably the most skilled person in Arendelle while probably being in his sixties. Edward was more than impressed, the older man fought someone who physically outmatched him and turned it around with minimal effort.

When the young man first considered the stakes, he had absolute confidence in his victory and would've probably be on his way out of Arendelle despite the troll's words. However after witnessing the older man he couldn't help but look forward to learning under him, perhaps he could Edward compete with Wrath and he could help turn Arendelle's guards into soldiers so someone like Zavis wouldn't be able to dispatch so many of them so easily.

"I let my anger get the best of me, again. I guess that I wanted at least one win today but went the wrong way of doing it. For that I am sincerely sorry and will do my best to ensure none of this happens again." The tone the young man was sincere and he even bowed to the woman who couldn't help but grumble as the fight in her deflated again. Now _he _was acting like he gained some sense and his apology made it hard to stay mad. He even added a bow that was unneeded given the unique relationship they shared.

"Ugh…what is it with men? One minute they don't possess a grain of common sense and the next they grow up and can actually be respectable." Anna and Kristoff couldn't help but laugh as they walked up to the two.

"I agree, Kristoff acts all responsible when he's on and ice trip but when you get him drinking he goes out singing and dancing on tables!"

The ice harvester had a blush on his face as he remembered that. "It was only one time and don't think I don't remember you riding a horseless wagon down a hill." Anna turned around with a horrified look as Elsa raised an eyebrow.

"You said you wouldn't tell Elsa!"

"Whatever happened to 'no secrets between sisters'?"

"Its not a secret! I just don't think I should bore her about every detail about my day, she has important stuff to do."

"Judging by her facial expression, I think she would've liked to known about that detail."

The redhead turned to see her sister with her arms crossed and her foot tapping the ground. The platinum beauty had thought that all the irritation had left her after dealing with two headstrong men but foolishly forgot that her sister was even more headstrong. The Princess had a worried smile as she held her hands out in a calming manner.

"Now Elsa it was just a game and we had haystacks set up so no one would get hurt, no need to be upset…"

The blonde raised an eyebrow before leaning forward so she could whisper but it was loud enough for everyone to hear. "You are in so much trouble."

* * *

Later that night in the dungeons sat Zavis, his arms were securely cuffed in thick frozen shackles that anchored him to the ground. There were chips in the ice as he conjured weapons and tools to free himself but found the ice to be neigh impregnable. He even considered sawing off his limbs and growing back new ones but he could hear the footsteps behind the door to his cell. They were watching him and changing shifts every so often, if he were to cut off a limb the Queen would be down here to refreeze his limb as he regenerated which dispelled his other powers.

Escape would be a chore but humans always made mistakes, sooner or later he'd get his chance and he'll tear that one guy's head off. The one who threw a wrench in his plans that by himself saved the Queen. Such strength made Zavis envious but what confused him was why didn't the guy use his other abilities. Sure he was stronger and faster than most humans but any of the others had the same body.

His theory that perhaps the guy couldn't access his abilities crossed the prisoner's mind multiple times. There were only seven people with these abilities and like his name suggested, Zavis was named after the deadly sin Envy. There were six others: Greed, Pride, Sloth, Lust, Gluttony, and Wrath. Zavis knew Greed, Pride was off killing soldiers, Sloth, Lust, and Gluttony were ordered by Father to remain in Blackdust. The only one unaccounted for was Wrath who disappeared during the civil war. For the most part Zavis didn't interact with the other sins besides Greed since all of them was ok with being Father's lapdogs. The prisoner wanted more from life than just following orders, Greed did as well but followed orders to ensure his survival.

_What a weakling._

Zavis would escape from this prison soon and do what he pleased with no one to stop him soon enough. The prisoner almost didn't notice the sound of the door to his cell being opened. A dangerous glint made its way into his eye as he prepared to skewer whoever walked into his cell but relaxed when Greed walked through the door. It looked like his release date came early as he watched his leader close the door behind him and made his way over to stand in front of the prisoner.

Greed's face wasn't amused in the slightest, in fact he looked quite angry. Before Zavis could even begin to speak, his comrade gripped the bottom half of his jaw with a vice grip. Perhaps Greed wasn't in the mood for speaking and wanted to shut the prisoner up so he could speak without any interruptions. That was what Zavis thought at first but quickly erased that theory when he felt a hand puncturing his chest where his heart was located.

Shock was the most apparent emotion that was on Zavis's faces as Greed pushed his hand in deeper before he found his target. With his fingers wrapped around his prize the man ripped his hand out the prisoner's chest not minding the blood splatter only caring that he had the red stone in his hand. Zavis on the other hand couldn't help but convulse in pain as he felt his body begin to disintegrate. Soon his body would reform where the stone was and he'd be free but Greed had other plans.

Dust swirled around him as Greed disappeared in it and reappeared far away from Arendelle. His surroundings depicted an underground cavern, it was empty save an altar like structure that was toward the back of the cavern. There were seven pedestals placed in front of a large mural.

The mural depicted seven creatures rising up from a river of blood. None of them looked remotely human, one was a large blob that dwarfed the others and had multiple mouths on its body from its stomach to its arms.

_Gluttony_

Another depicted a pink petite creature with wings that had white feathers. It would've looked somewhat like a fairy if it wasn't faceless and its claws weren't sharpened to sinister lengths.

_Lust_

Another one was a very thin creature that seemed to be a skeleton that looked brittle and ready to break.

_Sloth _

Next to them was a beast with a gold ornate mask covering its face and the rest of its body cloaked in a veil of darkness.

_Greed_

Behind it was a creature that was sludge green with four arms and four legs.

_Envy _

By itself in a corner of blood was a creature with red scales, sharp claws, and a menacing fanged smile.

_Wrath_

Finally above all of them like a King, was a monster who sat upon a throne of bone. Its stature was the perfect blend of muscle and proportion. Its grey skin rippled with tightly condensed muscle as it bore a resemblance to Wrath. The difference was where Wrath was scaly and had claws, this monster's skin and hands were smooth while blunted. Its head was beast like with a predator's shape and fanged teeth. Coming out from behind it was a thick tail as thick as its arms that lazed on its throne. The eyes were completely red and gave off the sense that this creature was the King.

_Pride _

Greed walked over to one of the pedestals and placed the stone inside where it swirled as it gathered black dust before igniting in a green flame. In the mural Envy seemed to evaporate right of the image. That left only six demons remaining. As per Father's instructions in the beginning, if any one of the seven sins disobeyed and became a liability they would be brought back her.

Envy had disobeyed too much and couldn't be trusted to remain aligned with Father. The others were carrying out their parts all except Wrath who was unaccounted for. Father hadn't specified any instructions for the missing sin but Greed knew he would in time.

For now, the Sin had a invasion to plan the troops were already mobilized and Hans should've already made it to see Weselton's royalty. With his show of loyalty to Father, Greed would stay out of his crosshairs for the time being. Hopefully enough time to secure a kingdom and get a controlling grip on another.

_So much to do, so much to gain…_

* * *

The next morning when Captain Stonewell was doing his early inspection of the dungeon he frowned when he found Zavis's skeleton still clad in the Queen's ice shackles. All the information he hoped to find was now gone. The older man hoped the prisoner was just playing dead like he had heard in the reports but if he wasn't then whoever killed him must've had a motive. He locked the cell door and ordered it be checked every hour on the hour, he had a lesson to get to.

Walking outside to the training field, the Captain was pleased to see Edward already doing sit ups unassisted. The young man had spent yesterday quitting the jobs he had to accommodate his new schedule.

The blacksmith was quite upset with the state of his forge when he opened shop this morning so it was more of a firing on the man's part. The cargo manager on the dockyard was sad to see the young man go but brightened when he heard he'd be joining the guard. Mr. Jorgen even stopped by to congratulate the young man after seeing him look so down earlier in the morning.

"forty-eight, forty-nine, and fifty…" With a grunt of exertion, Edward hopped to his feet as the older man approached. The young man could sense some waves of subdued anger flowing off him despite his face being in an unusual passive expression compared to the frown or calculating gaze.

"Something the matter?"

"I hope not. Let's just get today started, I noticed that when we fought you've had training and your strength and speed are quite formidable. The only problem is that you leave yourself wide open to counterattacks, you're moving too fast to know to react to your opponent's attack. When we fought yesterday, you committed to a hard slash that would've shattered my sword had I tried to block it. You thought I made a mistake only trying to defend with only one hand, instead I surprised you by deflecting it and counterattacking. Had you been more observant you would've seen me lay down my sword and draw my foot back in preparation, instead you were focused on getting to me and powering through my defenses." Edward didn't want to admit it but he was looking to end the fight in that instant, had he been attacking an unexpecting opponent, they wouldn't have seen him coming.

As much as he hated to admit it, he fought like a predator, like Wrath. If he ever fought someone head on, he'd wait until they made a mistake and end the battle in one strike, just like a wolf would when they finally cornered their prey. Edward knew he was a capable fighter but the old man made it very clear that against opponent's with tremendous skill, he stood very little chance.

Just because he was far and stronger than his opponent didn't mean he had the advantage.

"To help alleviate this I devised a training regiment for you that you will run through in the morning, leave to harvest ice with Bjorgman, return to help monitor beginner level guards and teach them basic techniques then spar with me at night."

"Sounds doable."

The older man laughed as he lite another cigar before motioning for the young man to follow him as he went into the barracks. "Sounds like you want me to make this hard for you."

"Bring it old man."

* * *

**Hey guys I'm in California at NTC look it up you'll know why I idk if I'll be able to update regularly. I'm definitely going to be gone next week since I'm going out in the desert. I'll br back in like 2 weeks. Don't worry I already made a chapter outline so I can at least plan out the fanfic vs just winging it like I have been doing. Hope you all enjoyed the fanfic please drop a favorite or a REVIEW. Wish me luck:D **


	19. Chapter 19

It's been two days since they set out from Arendelle and the Prince still had a sour expression on his face, seeing his supposedly dead comrade turned traitor does that to a person. Especially when that traitor was supposedly following orders from someone that was currently in their castle staff. Now that the Prince thought about it, Talib was originally brought in by the former King and changed sides fairly quickly when Alrick took power. There was always something off about the man, the way he stayed in his lab all day experimenting didn't help his image either.

_Plus the fact that Rahim said that he woke up to him standing over him, meaning he at least knew how Rahim had become Wrath. _

There was a lot to consider, if the alchemist happened to still be loyal to Rakat then there may be more traitors in their ranks. Ahimoth needed to inform the King and help plan their moves accordingly. Talib was no idiot in any stretch of the word, the Prince was sure the man had plans ready to be set in motion in accordance to things around him.

The large man was so deep in thought that he didn't notice Lilian walking up behind him until she put a hand on his shoulder. Turning over to face her, he tried to offer a welcoming expression but the patient stare she gave him told him it wasn't working.

"Massage for your thoughts?"

The large man chuckled a bit before turning back toward the see and seeing the outline of a guard tower overlooking the docks on the horizon. He knew he didn't need to tell her his thoughts because she very well knew them, she just wanted him to vocalize them and think them through. That was one of the things he loved about her, she pushed him to think logically versus him charging in with no hesitation or planning. She helped him in his studies to transform him from battle hardened warrior to deep thinking ambassador. He had succeeded in his mission of getting an invitation to the Winter Solstice Gathering, something his old self would've easily botched.

He was actually surprised, seeing Rahim made him want to tear his old comrade apart. He might've acted on his first instinct had Lilian hadn't forced to him learn to control his anger so well. The Prince still felt that Rahim deserved more punishment but the Snow Queen seemed to have taken a liking to him, so he held himself back since she was watching. He honesty didn't know what to feel toward Rahim, he knew that he was still angry, but with what he learned he didn't know where he wanted to aim it.

It would've been nice if Rahim just turned out to be a traitorous asshole who felt nothing when he betrayed them. Instead he was distraught and remorseful, the emotions that played on the young man's face showed that he was really shameful when he admitted what he did. When he was deciding what punishment Rahim deserved, memories of their early days filled his mind. Them fighting one another over the last leg of meat in camp, fighting back to back against soldiers with only the other to trust, and saving one another time and time again. The young man was mostly always grim after his training under his father began but there were times an odd joke or smile would come from him.

He could've demanded that Rahim return to Blackdust and be executed for his crimes. Judging from the young man's behavior after he was banished, he probably would've accepted the punishment. The Prince's old bond with his friend kept him from ordering his execution but that was over now, Rahim is dead. The monster that killed him was now in his body and did deserve to die but the Prince had other pressing things to think about.

"You know you don't need a massage to know my thoughts. Tell me, what do you think I should've done with Wrath?"

"You mean Edward?"

The Prince couldn't help the scoff that came from his mouth, Wrath had a fake name that was irritating to repeat. He knew it was petty but he wasn't quite ready to call Wrath by his new fake name.

"Yeah, _him. _Do you think I handled it well, I tried to rein in my anger and hurt but it was so damn hard to do so."

Lilian put a hand on his back and rubbed it soothingly as she spoke to him. "A lot has happened, no one can expect you to bottle up all your feelings when faced with someone who was supposed to be long dead."

"When I brought him back to the castle, you escorted me back to my room and talked me out of making a mistake. After I calmed down enough for you to treat me, I knew you went to go see him and stayed with him until he awoke. I tried to get my mind off that you went to him after knowing what he did by talking to that Captain. I felt that you should've stayed with me to just be there but you were already gone, for a moment I thought.."

"…that I loved him more than you?"

Ahimoth's mouth shut as he expected the hand on his back to retract but it stayed where it was. When he and his father brought Lilian and her father to the kingdom, he was attached to her everywhere. They were young and even then she was beautiful, he spent a few weeks trying to get her attention but often failed. She was completely devoted to her father and he respected that, but there was one more thing that occupied her mind.

The soldier that snuck her the pills her father needed.

One day she asked him if he knew who brought her the pills but with all of them wearing essentially the same uniform and most of them being killed made it likely he would never know. It wasn't until she described the only soldier who carried a katana with a left handed glove. At first he was jealous that she seemed more interested in meeting his best friend than all of his attempts but he tried getting the two of them to meet. However Talib began to ask for Rahim more and more limiting the few times he saw his best friend before the war started.

Looking back then whenever he'd tell her stories about Rahim and him she seemed so fascinated in them and for the most part he thought it was because of his feats. However when she left him to see Rahim after he and Kristoff brought him back, the Prince felt for a moment that maybe she was really fascinated in Rahim. Ahimoth was a confident man on the battlefield his skills had saved him time and time again and would continue to do so, but with matters of the heart he wasn't so sure. Maybe it was one more reason he couldn't forgive Edward.

"You never change, so tough on the outside that people think you're some kind of monster but on the inside you're a sweet little boy. That's one of the reasons why I love you so much. You have a big heart. When I left, I felt you needed time alone to figure out how to feel. I would've wanted you to forgive Edward but you may not have been ready for that." Lilian then moved to turn him to face her and wrapped her arms around his neck so he would look at her.

"Whatever you chose, I will support you in every way I can, the same way you've done for me. I will always be there for you, its what I promised when I agreed to marry you, speaking of which, you better not go off on any more dangerous adventures, you _will _be there when we get married." The large man smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist and gave her a chaste kiss as the ship docked.

The two separated and was about to direct the guards at the docks to move their luggage but noticed none of them were present. The Prince looked out and noticed that no one was on the docks, there was usually some kind of activity but it was so quiet that the wind that howled was deafening. Lilian didn't seem to notice as she waited by the gangplank with a smile on her face but lost it when she saw his cautious expression. Ahimoth walked past her and down the gang plank before turning around to address the guards on the ship.

"Ready the ship to depart again. I want two of you to come with me and the rest on the lookout, anything suspicious, you sail." Two guards followed up behind the man as Lilian stood to the side, she knew that he wanted her to remain on the ship in case something happened. While she may have been an Elemental, her abilities were weak and she didn't have as much battle experience as he did. Staying on the ship would keep him from worrying about her and focus.

Ahimoth shot her a grateful look before walking with two guards flanked behind him as he made his way toward the nearest guard tower. The door wasn't guarded and opened easily that made the Prince strain his ears for a sound. As they ascended the stairway a stench entered the large man's nose that he was all too familiar with.

_Blood._

The two guards behind him smelt the same stench and readied their weapons. They all ascended the tower until they got to a door that led to the main room that held a large cauldron to signal an attack. The Prince strained his ears to hear anything on the other side but it was still quiet. Looking back at the guards behind him, he motioned they wait here for a moment then charge in after him. They nodded and Ahimoth opened the door and stepped through it entering an open room that had a great vantage point over the docks.

So far the room was clean, there was no one inside and no blood splatter anywhere. However the Prince could still smell the stench in the air and judging by the hair that was standing on the base of his neck, he knew someone was watching him. Over the years of fighting, the large man had gained a good sense of imminent danger, it wasn't perfect but it had saved him time and time again. The open room had little spots for cover, a person could hide behind one of the stone pillars that led formed an archway to a view outside tower but that was it.

Walking outside, he went around each pillar listening for a sound but none was made. He stopped over a vantage point that looked over the ship he came in, he was pleased to see that Lilian was waiting at the bow of the ship. When she looked up and caught his eye, he waved at her a bit which she responded in kind. He was about to turn back inside when he saw her eyes widen and she pointed behind him in fear.

He didn't think as he dived to his left as he heard the sound of a sword hitting stone. Rolling into a fighting position, he was staring at a figure in dark clothing with their sword drawn. Ahimoth mentally smacked himself, he didn't think to check the roof, that was where most assassins hid. He would have to scold himself later, the figure faced him before charging with an overhead swing.

The Prince got into a grappler's stance as he had no weapons, he was hoping to catch the assassin off guard with them thinking they had the advantage. Due to having height and reach on the smaller assassin, the Prince was able to reach and grab his opponent's wrists halting their attack. He then pulled them toward him while thrusting his other hand out in a palm strike to incapacitate the enemy. The Prince didn't expect the assassin to lean back before jumping up getting him in a flying arm bar.

Before he could let go of the assassin's wrists to slip out of their hold, they violently jerked their hips and sent him rolling until the assassin ended up on top with his arm against their chest. The assassin raised their sword ready to add to their body count but didn't expect two things to happen.

The door to the room exploding open with two guards coming in, and Ahimoth being somehow stronger than he looked. The large man with beast like strength, grabbed the assassin's collar, sat up as much as possible lifting them off their feet, before bringing his arm down with their head cracking against the stone floor. The sickening sound the assassin's skull hitting the stone clearly illustrated that they were likely dead.

"Your Highness!" Ahimoth growled at the name as he got to his feet. He _hated _being referred to by his royal title. After his father took the throne, Alrick had abolished the old warrior way they chose a King to give more power to the people. When he had to make the transition from Lieutenant to Prince, he told everyone he knew if they called him by his royal title after telling them not to, he'd give them a swollen eye.

"Do not call me that. Anyway I guess I should thank you. Even though I had everything under control you gave me an opening to finish it quickly." They nodded and watched with curiosity as he jumped on the edge of the roof above them and pulled himself up. On the top were the bodies of the guards that manned the towers, they all had their gloves removed and wrapped around their necks. The usual white gloves of their uniform were red with blood but kept any of it from dripping down the roof.

_No wonder I couldn't find any blood. _

The large man looked further down toward the other posts and could see a mass on top all of them, if he had to guess, they were probably the other guards that manned the towers. This did not bode well as the Prince climbed down to see his two guards checking the assassin's body for any signs of life or information. When they noticed him walking up to them, one of them shook their head. The assassin was dead and had no information on what they were doing. Ahimoth thought for a moment about the situation, if it were him why would he kill tower guards at a dock.

Invasion would've been his first answer but they hadn't seen any other ships on their way back and unmanned guard towers wouldn't go unnoticed for any significant amount of time. Perhaps they were stealing something from the capitol so they secured their evacuation route, but from what they've seen no one was here. Whatever the reason, someone was here and they didn't want to be noticed.

The Prince walked over to the large cauldron and withdrew the necessary items from a small cabinet built into it that allowed him to ignite it. Hopefully there were troops further inland that would see the signal fire but for now they needed to get back to the ship and head toward the capitol. The trip there would take roughly five hours on foot, they'd have to check the stables to see if there were any horses left or if the assassins were thorough enough to kill them.

Ahimoth sighed, he was supposed to have an easy month. Get invited to the Winter Solstice Gathering, live it up in a castle, mingle at the Gathering, then return home. Instead he gets a visit from someone who's dead, got to fight a demon of all things, _and _came back home to find he might be walking into another battle. At this rate he'll never get married.

* * *

King Alrick was sitting in his study going over maps and documents as well as balled up drafts of request to other kingdoms to open up trade. Ever since he became King he's been either stuck in his study or going out through the kingdom trying to alleviate the deeds of Rakat. Child labor was abolished, education was easier to obtain, taxes were being lowered, no matter what he did there was _always _more.

He missed being the Commander of the Mystic Guard, he had to relinquish the position to his son for the time being as he focused on his kingly duties. After the civil war, their military was in shambles. It was pathetic, they were prided on being small yet elite, the very mention of their name put fear in the hearts of their enemies. Maybe that was why so much of his military might was depleted, soldiers turning on each other would cripple any army. With all the training the average soldier received in Blackdust, Alrick should be relieved that casualties weren't higher since all their soldiers were professional killers but he wished that wasn't the case.

Blackdust was an isolated kingdom that was ravaged by war and barely had resources to fend for itself. Thanks to Arendelle, they managed to survive but it wouldn't be enough. For them to prosper they needed more allies, that's why the Winter Solstice Gathering was so important. Every Arendellian ally would be there and it was a good place for him to plead his case for his kingdom. He needed to show they weren't a hired army anymore, he wanted to show they could be formal allies and could embrace this new age of peace. Unfortunately, most kingdoms he wrote to were caught up in the rumors that a platoon of their soldiers could kill a brigade of theirs. Despite if it was true or not, people feared they would want to take over their kingdom if they were allies since their loyalty could supposedly be bought. Rakat really dug them in a hole when he sent them to the far corners of the world fanning the flames of war.

_Almost makes me wish he were still alive so I could kill him again._

Alrick leaned his head back and groaned loudly, the day had been long with council meetings and monitoring the kingdom. The only good news he had today was when Ahimoth sent him a letter saying that he secured an invite to the Gathering. The King almost jumped out of his chair in joy feeling that his son was finally getting the hang of being a diplomat but the next few lines killed his excitement.

His son went on to say that he would be returning home immediately due to some unforeseen occurrences that could only be discussed in person. The King immediately started to panic wondering what could've possibly gone wrong but calmed down when he realized losing it wouldn't help. The letter also went on to say that there was an Elysion survivor that planned the kidnapping of Queen Elsa. Alrick immediately ran through every autopsy of every soldier that died in Elysion looking for anything out of the ordinary. Upon inspection he found out that some of his soldiers were sent to that psychopath Talib where all the reports said the same thing.

_Subject status: Useless_

It angered him to know that the alchemist had the gall to call his loyal soldiers subjects when they died retrieving two Elementals that he asked for. Both of which he kept as specimen that ended up dead. It was a challenge telling Lilian her father was killed by the alchemist, even more so when she tried to set the man ablaze. The only reason the alchemist lived was because of the fact that Pride was standing right there.

When she found out she launched a massive ball of fire that consumed the throne room in flames and smoke. When the smoke cleared, Talib stood there unharmed as he stood behind Pride who had somehow blocked the blast of fire with his body. His clothes were a tattered mess but from what the King could see there wasn't a burn mark on him. Before Lilian could try again, Pride had her suspended by the throat ready to snuff her life. Alrick had to order the young man to put her down. Pride put her down before warning her that should she take any action against the alchemist, he'd add her name on the long list of Elementals that he had hunted and killed.

Alrick felt a headache building when he remembered what Pride's pastime was. Whenever he would encounter an Elemental during his military campaigns, he'd kill them on his own without an ounce of hesitation. Normally the Mystic Guard would coordinate to either eliminate or capture the Elemental but Pride would hunt any one he has his sights on. The King had multiple conversations with the man trying to figure out what he had against Elementals to make him hunt them so passionately. He'd always get the same answer that unnerved him.

_They haven't earned their abilities, they were chosen at random to have everything handed to them. I refuse to accept someone being strong if they haven't earned it. Its an insult to my pride and I will not tolerate such a disgrace. _

The only thing that kept Lilian alive was Pride's loyalty to the throne. Alrick ordered she not be harmed and gave the man his word that she wouldn't retaliate against Talib. Pride accepted that and did his best to not be in the kingdom whenever she was, which was most of the time. When word spread that the Queen of Arendelle was an Elemental, Pride tried making a beeline to her. To him, an Elemental being a monarch when she was shut away for so long was a massive insult to him, Alrick sent him in the other direction on a mission to find more remnants of Rakat's army.

That was a few months ago, Pride should be returning soon. With Ahimoth returning with Lilian, things were bound to get out of hand. Alrick groaned, how he wished that all his problems could be solved with his double bladed sword. He had to juggle the kingdom, the Winter Solstice Gathering, Pride, Lilian and Ahimoth in the coming weeks.

A knock interrupted his thoughts and he glared at the door, if it was another council member demanding he do something else, he would kill them. The King shook his head, he didn't do that anymore, he was all about peace now, he would _lightly _scold them for demand something from a King.

"Enter,"

To his surprise, it wasn't a council member. In the doorway was Pride with the same stone cold look on his face. In his hand was his signature swordspear draped over his shoulder. Alrick set his things down and slowly moved out of his chair to his feet. For a moment, the King considered the possibility that Pride was fed up with him trying to reform the kingdom to a peaceful one and came for his head.

The older man wasn't afraid of Pride, he'd seen the man in action when he first joined the military with his little brother and knew that he was an extremely dangerous person but skill and experience determined the outcome in a battle. While the man's skill was largely unknown since every few had lived to tell about it, the King had decades of experience over the man.

Pride was silent for a moment before stepping into the room and revealing that he was dragging a dead body in his free hand.

"Assassins have infiltrated the capitol. Their targets are you, Ahimoth, Lilian, the council members, and Talib." The man carelessly threw the corpse into the study and left, likely going to defend his father Talib. Alrick looked over the corpse and could tell that the assassin had been thoroughly tortured before they died. He shook his head as he stepped over the corpse before heading out of his study to deal with the current threat.

_Today was already such a long day, they couldn't do this shit tomorrow?_

* * *

Ahimoth had returned to the ship and explained the situation before searching for the horse stables. They all lucked out when they found a carriage and a full stable of horses. The Prince had Lilian sit in the carriage as he drove and had the other guards have their own horses protecting the carriage. They all rode hard without rest and soon made it to the capitol.

The capitol was similar to Arendelle the way that the village surrounded the castle with one bridge connecting the two landmasses. The castle however was much grander than the one in Arendelle. It was square from a bird's eye view with solidly built structures that could withstand a barrage of cannon fire. The structure was also tall easily being several stories high giving it an imposing impression to any invaders.

When they all arrived, the bridge to the castle was blocked off by soldiers who had their weapons trained on any that approached. Upon seeing it was the Prince, they all backed down and returned to their posts as they let them pass. When Ahimoth and Lilian made it inside, they could see that there had been a battle inside the castle, glass and decorations had been ruined and littered the floor where the new castle staff cleaned it up.

The two and their entourage booked it to the throne room where they found King Alrick cleaning sitting on his chair with an annoyed expression on his face. Propped against his throne was his double bladed sword that had a single edged blade sticking out of each end of the handle. Both blades had a specks of blood on it that most likely belonged to the five dead bodies with missing limbs that littered the throne room. It seems the assassins made an attempt on the King's life but found out there was a reason he was able to be the last person to win the throne in combat.

"Welcome home son, hope you had a great time in Arendelle." The Prince couldn't tell what his father was more annoyed at, the fact that assassins tried to kill him or that his son returned from what was supposed to be a diplomatic mission under a week after it started. Ahimoth ignored the tone before walking forward and bowing at the waist.

"I take it you know of the current situation."

"Yes _Pride _came and told me we had intruders and they're only targeting, the royal family, the council and our chief alchemist." Even though he was speaking with the poise of a King, he couldn't help but look over to Lilian with a slightly worried flash in his eyes. The woman had become like a daughter to him after her father had been killed, he was truly ecstatic when he found out his son and her were getting married.

He feared for her safety every time, Pride was around. While Pride always maintained a calm and controlled persona, he still at times displayed a predatory look at the woman every time he saw her. He needed to find a way to deal with Pride, especially if they were going to be allies with Arendelle but with the way things were going. If Alrick died, then there'd be no one to stop Pride from doing what he pleased.

Lilian on the other hand felt her body freeze at the mention of that man. After her emotional outburst that led to her first confrontation with the secretive man, she was terrified of him. She threw everything she could into that fireball and he easily shrugged it off and had her by the throat. What really scared her was his eyes, there was so much hate in those eyes, she felt like she was staring Death in the face after spitting on him.

She knew that he wanted nothing more than to kill her and had no desire to give him a legitimate reason to do so. When her anger faded and it turned to grief she cried into Ahimoth's arms confiding into him that she was ashamed that she was too afraid to get revenge for her father. The Prince told her that fear is natural and she shouldn't be beating herself over it. There have been a few times this last year that Ahimoth had wanted to demand Pride to keep his eyes off Lilian but she had stopped him knowing that if the large man threw a punch then either him or Pride would end up dead.

"Oh great, he's back. Let me guess, he's gone off to protect daddy dearest hasn't he?" Alrick chose to ignore the obvious disdain that accompanied that sentence. One way or another he was going to work out a peace between Pride and those two.

"Yes, while he's securing Talib I sent soldiers to protect the council members. We've found and dealt with a quite a few assassins but we can't be sure that they're all dead so for the time being, you two will remain with me and will call for a meeting in the war room."

Under the castle in Talib's workshop stood Pride, his weapon was sticking out the wall with two assassin bodies impaled on it. The room was a tattered mess, papers and reports were all strewn about with potions and beakers laid broken on the floor. The man's face was in his customary blank expression as he looked over to his father's corpse.

He had made a beeline straight here when he warned the King to protect the alchemist but was too late. Pride wasn't going to pretend there was any love between him and his father, the only reason that he went out of his way to protect the alchemist was because despite the hell his father put him and Rahim through, he was still his father.

He made them strong, made them earn everything they ever gained, taught the value of pain and put them above any who opposed them. Even though his brother was killed, Rahim managed to take Wrath down with him. He dedicated his entire life to his task and completed it, if Talib hadn't put them through hell as children, there was no way Rahim would've gotten his kill.

_Talib is the reason I am Pride today. _

Pride knew all about the other Sins, when Rakat ordered Talib to create them, the alchemist saved the mantle of pride for his son. The strongest out of the seven sins that all humans shared, Pride knew that he wasn't human anymore but it didn't bother him. He had all the power he wanted, no one could stop him from doing something he _really _wanted to do.

Not even Father himself could control Pride.

Father had given Pride numerous orders which he ignored and followed Alrick's instead. To him, Alrick was more tolerable being ordered around then someone he's never even seen before. With Alrick, Pride knew that the King would fight for his life and make anyone who wanted his head really work for it. The pride in his skills and kingdom appealed to Pride that made him loyal.

The only infuriating thing about Alrick was the fact he was willing to prostate himself over peace. There were many times Pride wanted to tear his head off but restrained himself when he felt that prideful nature resurface whenever someone stepped out of line and challenged the King. Pride supposed that he could let two Elementals live for Alrick's sake but if the King ever showed too much weakness, then his name would be added to Pride's list.

_Right after Father. _

He had hoped that Talib would be able to point the man in Father's direction but with his death that wouldn't be possible. Perhaps Father knew Pride was looking for him and wanted to tie up any loose ends so he ordered the alchemist's death. There were more assassins in this one room than any other place in the castle, even the King had less opposition. It was likely the assassins' real target was the alchemist, if that was true, that at least proved Talib knew something.

Gathering his now dead father in his arms, Pride headed back upstairs to the throne room, he'd go through every document later hoping to find a clue of some sort to Father's location. He supposed he could ask the other Sins, he had kept track of Sloth, Lust, and Gluttony after they left the kingdom, they might've had some inkling where Father could be hiding. Greed and Envy disappeared completely after the civil war, from what he remembered of Greed, he was likely following Father's orders like the dog he was. Tracking him down would be almost impossible given he can move from place to place with just a thought.

_As for Wrath…_

Pride hadn't met the new Wrath yet, he was away on another assignment from Asger the Crusher. He was to search a region for some mystical creatures, trolls, if Pride remembered correctly. The search went on for years, in fact, when he returned, he found out he missed an entire civil war, his brother was dead, the Mystic Guard had been wiped out, and their Commander became the King. Pride didn't really care for the kingdom's affairs but one thing nagged at him for a long time, Asger the Crusher was the King's second, how was it that Alrick was able to face the King without killing the Crusher. All the reports said that Asger disappeared during the war, in fact Alrick himself said he couldn't find the man.

That angered Pride, the leader of the King's Spear should've fought instead running and hiding. His name was also on Pride's list of people he was going to kill, that was the reason he was always away, he wanted to hunt down the people on his list.

When he made it to the war room where everyone was likely to be, he was greeted with the unwelcome sight of the council, Ahimoth, and Lilian. He promptly ignored the them as he laid his father's body on the ground and approached the King.

"They've succeeded in killing one of their targets." Watching the King's face was slightly amusing as he looked down on the body with a pensive expression. It was no secret he hated the man but now that he was King, everyone in the kingdom was his responsibility and he failed today in keeping the alchemist safe. Turning two guards that there were standing by the door, he motioned them over.

"Take the body to the morgue and have it prepped for a funeral." The two men nodded as they gently grabbed the body and left the room to follow their monarch's instructions. Alrick cleared his throat and was likely about to extend his condolences to Pride but was cut off when the man raised his hand.

"I'm not going to pretend that I am even slightly burdened by his death, he taught me the value of strength and couldn't even defend himself, that disgusts me. The only thing that matters to me is that he likely had information that I was seeking but now I cannot ask him." With that Pride left the room not caring to even notice the expressions on everyone's face as he dismissed the death of his only living relative.

The council were the first to speak, they began to demand that the King find out who ordered the assassins. One even suggested Arendelle might've sent them because they were a threat and Queen Elsa only extended a hand in friendship to get them to let their guard down. Alrick's face was neutral but Ahimoth already counted him looking over to his double bladed sword six times as the council argued. It went on and on until the King had enough and walked over to his throne, grabbed his sword and left the room altogether.

Ahimoth inwardly groaned as he sent Lilian a pleading look which she caught and left to go chase after his father while he dealt with the council. It took an hour of him placating them by answering the same questions over and over while reassuring them that all security precautions would be taken to ensure this didn't happen again. When he finally got them to the point where they felt satisfied enough to leave, he left the war room and walked through the castle until he made it to the barracks.

The sounds of metal clanking against metal filled the air as he walked him into the training yard where his father was letting out his anger on training dummies. The woodened ones were left cut in half in a corner and now he was working on the very few metal ones they possessed. Lilian was off to the side holding Alrick's coat as he hacked and slashed at the dummy, not caring in the slightest that his weapon was getting chips and nicks into it.

Ahimoth joined her and waited until the King made a particularly hard swing and completely bisected the dummy's head off. His breath was labored as his fit muscles were taut with frustration and sweat. When Alrick finally managed to stop breathing so harshly, he turned to see his son and fiancée patiently waiting for him. Lilian offered him a napkin to wipe his forehead as well as his coat, both of which he gratefully thanked her for.

"So what did the council say?"

"Same old, you aren't fit to be King, you're better situated to be a soldier and should consider letting the decide who should be King." Alrick had stormed out after hearing the main point the council wanted to get across: this attack cannot happen again. Ahimoth stayed to hear them out if they wanted anything else but mostly the council believed the two of them weren't fit to rule. It was demoralizing at first but now it was just plain irritating, they worked hard to be where they were at today and none of those old crows can say they fought and bled for their kingdom.

Alrick hoped that gaining more allies at the Winter Solstice Gathering would finally shut his council up and they would acknowledge him as King but the closer it got the more worried he became. He had hoped that sending someone closer to Queen Elsa's age would be easier especially when they were accompanied by an Elemental, one of the last that were alive thanks to Pride. However when he learned Ahimoth couldn't stay in Arendelle he began to panic more, now that they were here and the attack was over, he could finally indulge his curiosity.

"Alright Ahimoth, what happened in Arendelle that forced you to leave the way you did?"

Oddly his son looked away and shook his head as he couldn't seem to gather his thoughts. The King turned to Lilian in confusion about to ask her what was wrong but she gestured that he wait a moment for his son to speak. It took a minute but the Prince faced his father with an annoyed expression.

"Well I guess I should start with the main reason I left. Rahim's alive and he's in Arendelle."

Now it was Alrick's turn to be speechless, he remembered Rahim, one of his most trusted soldiers being killed in action by a creature that Talib created. The same Rahim that was later seen on Rakat's side where slaughtered the Mystic Guard save for himself and Ahimoth. When he found out his son was wounded after his duel with Rakat, he was terrified when he saw the single stab wound to the chest, one of Rahim's most notable signatures. Miraculously, the wound wasn't life threatening, somehow the blade missed everything that was vital.

When Ahimoth woke up and confirmed he saw Rahim, Alrick didn't know what to think. Someone as skilled as Rahim would never mess up his signature kill technique, the only reason his son was alive was because Rahim spared him. Even though the traitor killed all of the Mystic Guard's families, Alrick was grateful that he didn't take Ahimoth too.

"Turns out that when he was allegedly killed in action, he really did die and was reborn into the creature that killed him. That same creature, using Rahim's body, annihilated the Mystic Guard."

Alrick for once couldn't keep his face neutral as he looked downright confused. Realizing this would be a long story, he motioned for the two of them to follow him as he walked into Ahimoth's office and locked the door behind them for privacy. He then took a seat behind his son's desk, even though he officially gave up the title, most felt that he was still the Commander.

"Start from the beginning."

* * *

Edward had just finished his last training session with the Captain. Each day they'd spar in the morning, instruct during the day and work on any bad habits he had at night. Due to him already being trained, Stonewell had made an accelerated learning schedule for him to touch up on his skills and broaden his mind.

The young man had finally found out was bothering the older man when he was shown Zavis's skeleton. At first he thought the hunter was just faking his death again but when he couldn't find a stone, he knew that he was really dead. The skeleton dissolved into black dust the day after that, Elsa had been informed and was worried but there was nothing more they could do so they pushed that thought away and focused on the new additions to the guard.

Day one he went through every single weapon in the barracks hoping to find one that he was most skilled in. Stonewell could tell the young man wasn't using his weapon of choice. After going through the entire armory, Edward finally admitted that the weapon he was most skilled with was a katana. The older man had to think for a moment when was the last time he'd seen one, apparently before he came to Arendelle he was in a foreign country that was at war. The enemy was old and wielded katanas with extreme precision.

The Captain noted it took years of dedicated study to use a katana effectively and suggested the young man attempt to specialize in a different weapon. When Edward said he was quite efficient with one, the Captain had him run to the blacksmith and ask he create one as soon as possible. When he visited the irate man, he remembered something that was really important that had slipped his mind during the chaos of the last few days.

_Kristoff's box of coins to purchase Anna's ring. _

When he asked the blacksmith, if he had seen the box he was told it wasn't there but if it was it still wouldn't pay for all the damages. After putting in his order for his katana, Edward pooled together all of his money and did the math in his head. If he gave Kristoff all his money and filled every order they had giving all the profits to the mountain man, he'd barely have enough for the ring. The young man knew the ice harvester would likely not accept the offer but it was high time that the new guard put his foot down and didn't take no for answer from the royal family.

The next day after spending the _entire _ice harvesting day arguing, he finally got Kristoff to take the money and all the pay with the promise that he'd pay the young man back. When they returned and Edward finally had the chance to meet the guards he'd be training he was surprised to see that Anna was in Captain Stonewell's advanced group.

Apparently the redhead was a mean scrapper with her bare hands, she had a streak of getting half the guards in submission holds. Edward didn't know if it was because she was the Princess that the guards held back or that the guards were really dismal when it came to their jobs. It was only when he saw Anna get two guards by their necks with her arms and legs that he believed that he shouldn't mess with the redhead.

The guards in his group were mostly recruits who had potential but had terrible form and believed that their number advantage would overcome their enemies. He had to break down to a science what the next few days would consist of. He'd have them work on strength and endurance during the day when he wasn't around then sword techniques and forms when he could watch them. He gave them a basic set of drills to complete everyday before dismissing them and preparing for his final training session with the Captain.

Since he hadn't gotten his weapon yet, today's training session was hand to hand combat. The match between them lasted a lot longer than the one they had when he came back from visiting the trolls. Edward's fighting style revolved around palm strikes and quick footwork. As much as he hated to admit it, the style was based off Wrath's fighting style when it used claws to rush by and used its maneuverability to get to its next target. They had fought until it ended in a draw with both of them sporting new bruises on their chest areas.

Now with the moon out, Edward was about to head to his room at the inn when a certain redhead jumped into his path. "Hey Ed!" The young man looked into the sky to see the moon shining brightly before looking down at the equally bright expression of the Princess. How she had enough energy to be this excited when it was so late baffled him but he shrugged the thought off.

"Hello yourself Anna, it's a little late, shouldn't you be in bed right now?"

"Well after I finished with the Captain I was about to head in to get ready for bed when I saw that you were heading to the training yard after everyone left. There was something important that I wanted to ask you about and I wondered if you wanted to come to kitchen with me to get a late night snack while we talked?"

The young man considered her request for a moment, he was feeling tired after a long day of work and wanted to go to bed but if he was being completely honest, it was hard to say no to the redhead.

"Alright, but can we make it quick? I have an early day tomorrow and it'd be smart of me to get rest before it starts."

Anna's face lit up as she grabbed his arm and with no small amount of force pulled him into the castle. The two zoomed down the halls with the young man having to watch his step as the small girl pulled him along with no mind that she was making him trip over his feet. They made it to the kitchen where there was already a set of small sandwiches lined up on a tray ready to be eaten. The young man raised an eyebrow at this but said nothing as the redhead scooped up the tray in one hand and pulled him in _another _direction.

After a few flight of stairs and turns the two made it into the parlor they all sat at after dinner. The fire inside was already lit with two chairs in front of it and a smaller cushion in between them providing a perfect place to put the tray down. It was at that moment Edward knew that Anna had planned all of this in advance.

She all but threw in his chair, placed the tray down and hopped into hers with the same bright smile she had earlier. Without saying anything she reached over and grabbed two sandwiches and began to eat them. Edward refrained from eating, he was busy thinking of what she could possibly want to talk about. He hoped that she wasn't thinking about Wrath, he didn't see her face when all of them saw the demon in person but he could easily imagine she had an expression that showed fear.

The redhead finally noticed that Edward was just staring at her and tried to chew her food more before speaking with some still in her mouth. "They taste great you should take one." What came out of her mouth wasn't entirely English but he could tell what she was trying to say.

"Anna what is it that you wanted to talk about?"

As much as he liked her, he rather make this a short conversation if it was about Wrath. The Princess swallowed her food before burping in a unlady like fashion before her bubbly attitude turned serious. The young man braced himself for the barrage of questions that was likely about to come out her mouth but was caught off guard when she spoke.

"How do you feel about Elsa?"

Edward's head went blank for a moment he replayed the question in his head. The more he replayed it the more the same thought popped up in his head.

_Where did that come from?_

"Umm…I guess I respect that her people love her for being a kind ruler. She's nice and very intelligent for her age and is doing well being a single monarch."

Anna loudly groaned and over exaggerated falling back into her chair before leaning forward with her finger pointed at him. "I don't mean as the Queen, I mean as _Elsa, _how do you feel about Elsa as a person?"

"…she's nice and intelligent and comforting to be around…"

The redhead seemed to have lost her patience as she cut him off.

"Do you have feelings for her?"

Edward tried, he tried his damnedest not to stutter any of his next words but cursed himself when he did. "W-what?" Anna didn't let up but the twinkle in her eyes made it obvious that was forming in her head.

"You heard me, do you have feelings for Elsa?"

The young man's first instinct was to deny the allegation immediately but he'd be lying through his teeth. While the feelings the redhead was thinking about may have not been the ones he had, he couldn't deny that the platinum beauty had an effect on him. He was both in the most control of himself as well as impulsive when he's around her. He was drawn to her, his thoughts strayed to her too often for his liking.

She was a massive distraction, she pulled him into things he would've avoided had it been anyone else. He didn't know what it was about her. Was it the way her skin glowed more luminescent than the sun, the way her blonde locks brought attention to her angelic face, maybe it was her open sky blue eyes that pierced his heart, maybe the way her dress perfectly hugged her shapely…

_**NO!**_

Edward would not let his thoughts go down _that _particular road. She was already pulling him in any direction she wished without knowing it. He didn't need to give her even more pull then she already had. He need to stay focused, he was staying in Arendelle until their soldiers could properly defend themselves and then he was gone.

No one woman was worth him risking losing control to his inner demon.

_Unless she's the Snow Queen. _

He didn't know if it was his thoughts or Wrath messing with him again, either way, he squashed that thought before answering the redhead. "I'm afraid you're mistaken Anna. I've barely got to known Elsa and thus cannot possibly have the feelings you think I could somehow harbor. We are friends and nothing more, I am in her debt for all she has done for me and hope that training her guards to better protect her kingdom will make us even."

The redhead leaned back in her chair but her calculating expression didn't leave her face. With the way he spoke he hoped that he convinced her that he felt absolutely nothing for the blonde but could easily tell she didn't buy that. Hell he wouldn't either after the way he stuttered earlier.

"Really, I think saving her life more than makes up everything she's done for you. Plus you two seem to be a little close, at least that's what it looked like when you took her hand and walked her to her study after we had dinner."

_So she was faking being asleep. _

Back then, he found it kind of odd she would snort at very opportune moments that snapped the young man out of the platinum beauty's hypnotic stare. He was grateful for it but thought they came at too coincidental moments. If he was having a hard time convincing the redhead he felt nothing, he was in trouble now.

Part of him wondered how bad it would really be if he came clean about how he felt about Elsa. He really didn't know if he was being honest with himself. The concept of love to him was foreign, he had a shred of it as a child but he buried all those memories growing up so he wouldn't be weighed down by what he had lost so long ago.

He didn't know if what he felt for Elsa was love, he liked being around her, she made his day with just her smile. Her voice put him at ease, her scent was intoxicating, she was patient, intellectual, and kind. She possessed many traits that would make any man crazy for but what set her apart from everyone else was that she was the only person he could ever admit his darkest sins to. He had laid out his soul to her in the infirmary when he told her what he did during the civil war. Most people would've been horrified, even Anna and Kristoff was beyond shocked to learn what he did.

_But Elsa…_

She held him in the warmest embrace he _ever _felt. She broke all of his walls with just a touch and gave him his truest sense of peace. Even Wrath shrunk away from her when she was near, the demon that thrived on anger was instantly quelled by the platinum blonde. He actually began to consider a future in Arendelle but had to remind himself that it wouldn't last, getting attached here was dangerous and illogical but try as he might here he was extending his stay.

"That was a lapse in judgment that I apologized for and made sure wouldn't happen again. While it is true I saved her life, I'm sure the Captain would've been able to do so if I told him when I found out she might've been in danger. As you also know, I can't stay here, I'm a danger to everyone around me. Once your guards have been properly trained I'll be on my way, you've seen Wrath and let me tell you, its capable of horrific things if left unchecked. I appreciate all you've done for me but there's nothing you can say that will change my mind."

Anna crossed her arms as she pushed her tongue in her cheek in a thinking gesture. After a moment she shrugged her shoulders. "You're right nothing I say can possibly change your mind." The young man blinked in confusion, he hadn't known the redhead to give up so easily, in fact he'd probably see a mountain bow to her before she did. It wasn't until her next words left her lips did he realize while she may not have been an eloquent royal, she wasn't stupid.

"Elsa on the other hand. can, the night before Ahimoth left and you were in the infirmary I know Elsa didn't go to bed until early in the morning. Me and Kristoff left to give you two some privacy but before we did, you were adamant in your inability to face the Prince but after speaking to Elsa you were standing tall the next morning ready to face him. Later that day even when you were about to leave Arendelle, Elsa convinced you to stay and even visit Grand Pabbie. I know I may not be as smart as others but I can tell when someone feels strongly about someone I love, _especially Elsa." _

She was right, both times Elsa managed to get him to bend to her whims when he was determined to do something else. There was no use denying that he felt something for the woman but he didn't know how to put it into words. Hypothetically speaking even if he _was _attracted to her, she was a Queen and he was a banished traitor from a kingdom she might become allies with. There was no way for the two of them to become romantically involved, it was a pipe dream and he was far to wary to pursue such a dream.

"Alright Anna, I won't deny that your sister has an _effect _on me but I highly doubt it has anything remotely to do with love. For me love is just a word that has lost its meaning, a weight I chose to let go of to keep me from being distracted. Elsa deserves someone who would shower her in love and recognize how special she is, even without her magic she's beyond compare. She should have someone who would tear down the sky for her if she wanted the stars. That person couldn't possibly be me."

"So you admit that you feel something for my sister?"

"Something yes, love I highly doubt."

"Well that's enough for me. And if you want my opinion you've already gone farther than most would have without anyone asking you either. Kristoff told me that the moment you thought she was in danger you dropped everything and raced up the mountain for her. I'd be happy that Elsa has someone besides me who's willing to do that for her."

"You give me too much credit"

"Or maybe you give yourself too little credit. Well its getting quite late, don't worry I won't say anything to Elsa so this can remain between us." Anna got to her feet and moved to leave the room not bothering in to pick up the remaining sandwiches left on the tray. When she got to the door, she stopped and turned back toward him with a soft smile.

"But…I will tell you what Elsa realized how to control her power. Love will thaw, love for herself and the people she cared about helped her gain control. Maybe love will also help you, I know you don't have many people you care about anymore but you should know that we do. Me, Kristoff, Olaf, Gerda, Kai, even the Captain, we all care about you. And I know that you know that Elsa cares about you, just remember that you aren't totally alone because we'll always have you in our hearts."

With that heartfelt speech, she left the parlor to give Edward the privacy to think about their conversation. While it was true nothing Anna could say could change his mind he couldn't help but applaud her words, they really moved him. His time in Arendelle was limited but now he swore to himself that no harm would befall the people he's come to care about. The young man was about to leave the room when he realized that there was still a tray of sandwiches ready to be eaten.

Curiosity getting the best of him, he took a bite out of one and instantly was glad he did as he finished it. These were very delicious, he had no problem eating all but two of them. he didn't know what he was thinking but the next morning, Elsa found two sandwiches wrapped in napkins on her desk in her study. Next to them was a note, picking it up she couldn't help but smile as she read it.

_In case you forget that you should eat breakfast, have these, your sister says they're quite good and I can't help but agree. Hope you have a great day and remember not to overwork yourself, you have people who care about you._

_-Ed_

* * *

After Ahimoth finished, Alrick took a moment to organize his thoughts. This Father person seemed to have a hand in the weakened state of the kingdom and turned one of his most trusted friends into a traitor. There was also this Greed character, if Talib really created Wrath then he must've created Greed. And now that he thought about it, their names bothered him too what kind of parent names their kids after the Seven Deadly Sins?

The King's eyes widened as something just occurred to him. Pride was Talib's son, surely the alchemist didn't use his own son for his experiments, but the more thought about it the more disturbingly it fit. If the other Sins that Talib created had extraordinary abilities then it wasn't too farfetched to think that Pride possessed them too. While he didn't want to accuse the man of being an enemy of the kingdom just yet, he needed to research the matter covertly.

"None of this leaves this room, we need to tread carefully. If what you say is true and this Father person has been manipulating us then w can't tip him off that we're on his trail. Ahimoth, you and Lilian are to remain here, I will attend the Winter Solstice Gathering in your stead. You two will also be taking care of the kingdom for a while, I'm going to go over every report that Talib ever wrote for any information that can help us. I'll also tell Pride to return to the his task of hunting Rakat's army."

As Alrick prepared to leave Lilian couldn't help but speak up. "What about Edward?"

The King paused at the door before answering. "While Edward may have been innocent in the massacre of the Mystic Guard the council would still demand his execution since Wrath is still alive in his body. Ahimoth's judgement was spot on and I will not revoke it. As for the matter of Talib's funeral, I will travel to Arendelle and ask if he has any words for his father. As for Pride, keep this from him, if he found out the monster that killed his brother now controls his body, he might head over to Arendelle for his head and destroy the only chance of us being allies since Elsa has come to care for Edward."

He then left the room as he massaged his temples, he had so much to do in the coming weeks, how he wished being King was easy.

* * *

Pride had already left the castle and was heading toward the main shipyard that was on the coast of the kingdom. He had originally wanted to look over all of his father's documents but they would always be there. The other Sins weren't guaranteed to stay at their current lodgings, the only one he had hope to find the easiest was the one who rarely moved.

Sloth the Indolent was held up in a kingdom that would take him a month to get there but he was quite confident she wouldn't find the desire to move before he arrived to question her.

**Hey guys I dropped a new chapter while I'm on my training exercise. The terrible quality of the chapter probably speaks for itself but I hope you all enjoyed it. The next chapter may be before the 2 when I get back home. I've been planning this fanfic out for a while and came up with a couple ideas on how this could go, please stay tuned because when I get back I'm gonna go on a super writing spree until Frozen 2 drops. Please drop a review see ya **


	20. Chapter 20

Two weeks had passed since Edward had first began training the Arendelle guard. His batch of guards had improved but still had a long way to go. One of his guards, Cameron Klein was one of the ones he'd liked the most. The guard was barely old enough to join, his form was sloppy and he scared easily but he worked hard, harder than anyone else. Edward had paid special attention to him and even gave him some pointers before going out with Kristoff.

Thinking of the Ice harvester he remembered that yesterday was their last day of ice harvesting since winter would really hit soon. He and the mountain man worked to the bone completing order after order until Kristoff managed to raise enough money to buy the ring he sought out for. The ring he had chosen was a golden wedding band with a slot for a small stone in the middle. The ice harvester said that today he would go to the trolls and ask for one of their protection stones so Anna would be safer.

He said he'd be back later today with a completed ring leaving one final obstacle before he could propose.

_Elsa _

The mountain man had actually began to sweat bullets when he thought about how he was going to ask the woman to let him marry her sister. No matter how much Edward tried, the ice harvester was inconsolable. To stop himself from losing his mind and strangling Kristoff, he offered to go with the mountain man when he asked. When Kristoff tried to refuse, Edward pulled him in close and whispered in an annoyed tone.

_If you don't get this done after I offered to go with you and I hear __**one **__more word about you worrying about what she'll say, I will throw you in her office, tie you to her chair and keep you two there until you grow a pair and ask. _

Needless to say, when Kristoff got back, they were both going to ask Elsa for a quick word. He didn't expect the mountain man back until later tonight so Edward found himself just wandering the castle with no clear destination in his mind. He had been around most of the castle until he took a wrong turn and found himself in front of a door that had a layer of dust on it. He racked his brain trying to think where he was and what would be behind this door but when nothing came to mind, his curiosity got the better of him and he reached for the handle.

He wasn't too surprised to find that it was locked. Seems that the royals of Arendelle had their own skeletons, he could respect that, he had quite a few himself. He turned around and retraced his steps until he was back in the courtyard where he watched the castle staff put their final touches for the Winter Solstice Gathering. It was only in two weeks and Anna had mentioned that guests were scheduled to arrive next week so she wouldn't be able to train with the Captain or attend her diplomat classes. He remembered the redhead being so happy when Elsa said that she wouldn't have time for her tutors but was demoralized when Elsa also added with a mischievous smile that her combat training would have to wait as well. Seeing the way the two sisters interacted was refreshing, it had Edward thinking about his own brother.

_Shahbaz _

When they were still kids, Shahbaz looked after him whenever he could but being the oldest by five years took a toll on him. For starters he had harsher training with him being the oldest, on top of taking care of his little brother, Shahbaz grew up quickly. By the time he was sixteen, he had gained the eye of Asger the Crusher when he put three soldiers from the King's Spearhead in the infirmary when one of them had decided to bully his little brother.

It was around a decade ago but Edward could still remember the furious strength that belonged to Shahbaz. Ever since their mother died and his little brother was sent to live with him and their father Shahbaz didn't let _anyone _mess with his little brother. The only one who could get away with it was Talib who generally gave them both harsh punishments whenever he found out that Shahbaz covered for Rahim.

Edward missed his brother, that last fight they had rang in his mind. It was the night they were both about to get shipped out and Shahbaz wanted to see if his little brother could handle himself with no one to protect him. Even though he lost, Edward remembered fondly that his brother held out a hand and said one sentence that he would always remember.

_Never forget what you're capable of._

Edward had taken those words to heart, when he first joined the military and ever thought something was too much for him, he'd remember his brother's words and think that if he could survive growing up with his father then he could survive anything else. After being killed by Wrath, he kept others at a distance, knowing full well what he could do if the demon ever got loose.

It was nice to think of his brother, some part of him hoped he'd show for the Gathering but remembered that Shahbaz hated formal settings. His prideful nature made him prone to mouth off to people that thought they were superior to him until he got his hands on them. There was no way Alrick would bring the man if he suspected Shahbaz couldn't control himself.

Edward was shaken out of his thoughts when he turned the corner just in time to see Elsa rush by with a stack of documents. He only saw her for a moment but for the young man every moment with her was an eternity. There were strands of hair coming out of her braid as he saw the bags under her eyes as well as wrinkles on her usually perfect dress. All in all she looked knackered. He remembered hearing Anna saying that her sister would work herself to the bone whenever someone visited so she could devote all her time to playing hostess.

He thought when Ahimoth left early she'd get a break but she once again hit her paperwork like a bull. Even he could tell that she was looking drained and almost dead on her feet but she pushed past that as she ran past him. He felt that she should take a break but he put himself in her shoes. She's barely twenty two, a single monarch, recently opened up to people, had ice powers, and had a kingdom that had virtually nothing valuable. Of course she'd work tirelessly to do the best with what she had. It was upsetting to see her push herself like this but one sobering thought kept popping up in his head.

_What could he do about it?_

Absolutely nothing that's what. She was a Queen and he was just a guest who happened to be an instructor for her guards, she had no obligation to listen what he had to say. The only one who could probably get her to slow down was Anna but today she was in the same boat, bustling around for once doing her Princess duties that helped lighten the load on her sister.

There was nothing he could do. It was upsetting but true, sitting here sulking about Elsa pushing herself too hard wouldn't help her at all. Just as he was about to force his mind to think of something else something occurred to him, it was a long shot but it would keep him busy until Kristoff returned. First he needed to find Kai, the head servant was a stickler for rules and etiquette but both Elsa and Anna admitted he was the closest thing they had to a father. Surely the man did not like seeing his surrogate daughter work herself so hard at such a young age.

It didn't take too long to find him, the castle staff usually congregated in the kitchen to stay out of sight and gossip one another. It wasn't hard to just ask where Kai would be and he got multiple answers with the throne room being the chief one. Edward jogged through the castle until he made it to the throne room to see that the head servant was overseeing the setting of the throne room.

To follow the theme of a winter gathering, the walls were being lined with ice blue strands of fabric and tapestries to give the room a blue hue when the sun hit it. Elsa could've probably done this herself but it seemed Kai wanted to take something off her plate.

"Excuse me Kai, there's something I'd like to ask you." The plump man turned around with a slightly annoyed expression from being pulled from his task but it was erased when he realized it was the man who saved the Queen. When he was informed of what happened to Elsa, the head servant was instantly worried and tended to her bedside until he was called for his duties. As he left the woman in her room, he was informed that the young man from the night they had dinner had climbed the North Mountain to rescue the Queen and helped Kristoff escape from Hans. Kai hadn't had the chance to thank the young man so seeing him now, he felt that he could show his gratitude as he executed a bow before speaking.

"Yes Master Edward, how may I assist you?"

Edward blinked at the display, he wasn't royalty or anyone important, it honestly felt odd to see someone bow to him. There was no reason to do so and he honestly felt that the plump man shouldn't have to bow to someone like him.

"Please don't bow to me, and its just Edward or Ed if you prefer. I just wanted to know if you happened to know the Queen's work schedule later today."

The head servant looked confused at the question and wondered why the young man had an interest in it but answered anyway. "Well she has scheduled most of her day to sorting out the trade agreements in the Northern Isle and current policy regulations and suggestions she's taken from this morning. The only thing besides that is a council meeting that will begin shortly and will likely continue to this evening."

"I thought she already did all the immediate paperwork so she could attend to Prince Ahimoth while he was here."

"She did however with his abrupt departure, she felt that she could get a head start on some matters."

"So she doesn't _have _to work so hard right now?"

At this point Kai was curious why the young man was so interested in the Queen's habits. While he was still grateful to the young man, he knew next to nothing about him, only the very little details he told them during dinner. From what the plump man could gather, the young man used to a soldier but left his kingdom under mysterious circumstances. The castle staff had easily gossiped about him and there already many rumors going around, more so when this stranger became an instructor for their guards.

He doubted the young man would harm the Queen, the amount of effort he put into keeping her safe at the expense of his own safety spoke volumes. However it was quite odd, until recently the young man never roamed the castle halls and would keep his distance in the stables. Now he came by everyday, mostly to instruct the guards but for mundane things like running to the kitchen for a sandwich or helping a servant if he was near.

"Why the sudden interest in her Majesty's itinerary?"

Edward hesitated for a moment before making his thoughts verbal. "I-I just thought that _maybe _I could convince her to take a break. You've seen the way she looks, at this rate she's going to run herself in the ground. I was hoping that perhaps you could help me get the rest of the day off so she can rest or something. She's the Queen and you're basically her father, surely she'll listen to you if you say she should slow down."

The honest look on the young man's face made Kai smile, there was genuine concern in his eyes for the Queen. It was nice that he was being considerate for her, lord knew that Elsa needed more people looking after since she always tried to shoulder everything on her own.

"While I appreciate your concern and high opinion of me, I already asked she slow down and she responded that a Queen's work is never done. I can't push off another council meeting or convince her to take the rest of the day off, she has to decide for herself." The deflated look on Edward's face was easily visible but Kai wouldn't lie, there was nothing anyone could do, it was up to Elsa to slow herself down.

"I wish I could help but I can't. If there's anything else you need I'll do my best to help." The plump man was about to get back to turn back to his task when the young man spoke up again.

"What's her favorite kind of chocolate?

* * *

Elsa was furiously reading over multiple policies and regulations while trying to keep track of all the suggestions she's gotten from her council. Her eyes began to burn as she reread the same sentence three times until she pushed the document away from her and leaned against her chair. She knew that she should slow down but never felt comfortable enough to do so. Her kingdom was small and needed someone to look after it, that someone being her.

She knew she could've pushed off all this paperwork for later but something might've come up and forced her to dedicate all of her time to it. That wasn't including the Winter Solstice Gathering that brought together all of her allies who likely wanted to revisit trade agreements with Arendelle. In sublimation, she would rather work and get ahead as much as possible. She checked the clock to see that her council meeting would start soon, she really didn't want to since they'd probably just argue about the same things all over again.

Then after that she had a small rest bit with Kristoff who said he had something extremely important to discuss with her. When she prompted him to ask her right then and there, he said that their talk wasn't something that could be given in a simple answer and that it would be better if they spoke in private after he returned from visiting the trolls.

Hearing the clock strike a chime that signaled the beginning of a new hour, she gathered some documents in her hand and rushed out her study hoping to get there before the council did. On her way to the council chambers she was about to turn a corner when she caught a glimpse of Edward looking her way. It was only for a fleeting moment but she felt that she should stop and greet him but the stack of documents were a reminder that being a Queen came first. So with suddenly heavy legs she continued toward her council chambers and laid out her documents in a way she could easily access them. It didn't take long for the council to trickle in and take their seats before Elsa began the meeting.

Like she predicted they argued over the _same exact things _they always did. How Arendelle could possibly take more from other kingdoms and use others to gain more allies. Elsa had let them argue while supplementing her own comments here and there but for the most part she was bored to tears. It wasn't until Duke Eren had brought up an unexpected topic.

"What of this Edward character?"

That snapped Elsa out of her trance as she watched the council quiet down for a moment,, giving the older man room to continue.

"W know very little of this man and he is now training half our guards. After the incident with Prince Hans and the Queen's kidnapping, we need to be more wary of strangers. This man, Edward is quite the stranger to us and should be monitored in case he has an ulterior motive of being here." The blonde woman couldn't help coughing to gain the council's attention so she could defend the young man.

"Duke Eren, while your concern is well founded I can assure you that Edward means no harm. He's had numerous opportunities to exploit us for his gain but did no such thing. On top of that he got injured for my sake, something I cannot take lightly."

"While that may be true and his actions were very heroic, can you truly say that absolves him from all suspicion? I ask that you not look at him as your rescuer but as a unknown man who somehow managed to be capable of locating the bandits our own guards weren't able to do, rescue you from their clutches, and captured a man capable of besting our guards. His achievements seem almost legendary and one cannot help but think it is really possible for one man to be able to accomplish so much on his own."

She knew that the older man was implying her kidnapping was planned by Edward so he could rescue her and gain their favor. While it was true that one man pulling off what he did was hard to believe but Edward wasn't _just _one man. He had inside him a power that could easily turn the tide any battle, the blonde couldn't reveal that of course. The young man had confided the existence of Wrath to only a few people and knowing what it was like to hide one's ability she felt that it wasn't her place to tell others. She also could say she knew a great deal about Edward, he had spilled so much to her that night, she knew the struggles of his childhood as well as the hell that was the battlefield he braved as a teen. While it was true he had lied to her in the beginning, she had complete faith in him now.

"You seem to forget he was seriously injured when he saved me, its because of these great achievements he's training our military so they can better defend Arendelle."

Duke Eren seemed to accept that answer and Elsa was confident that the meeting was about to come to a close when the older man spoke again but with a different matter.

"Your Majesty has there been any word of you choosing a personal guard?"

Elsa schooled her face into a pensive one instead of a exasperated one. Truthfully she put off the idea of selecting a personal guard, she could see the logic of having one but for some reason couldn't convince herself to go through the process of selecting one. It wasn't because she doubted any of her men, it was just she still didn't feel comfortable around them and didn't want to have anyone dying protecting her. The brave guards who died the night of her kidnapping had been given a proper send off and honored as heroes but when she closed her eyes she sometimes remembered then just before Zavis slaughtered them.

She was relieved when she heard he was captured and when she was informed that he was found dead in his cell with Edward confirming it, she couldn't bring herself to care. It was a dark thought she normally would never had but to her, Zavis was a monster, one she was happy that he could never threaten her family again. There was one thing that bothered her though, Zavis wasn't a real name, his real name was Envy. It was an odd name but when she found out he knew someone named Pride and was working for someone named Greed, it finally clicked in her head.

These men were named after the Seven Deadly Sins. Currently she knew of only four but there were three more. She didn't know if they would be an enemy or someone forced to become a host for a demon like Edward was. When she thought about that, in the back of her mind she admitted that her guards would be no match for them, should they come to Arendelle. Only she could put up a fight against them and she didn't want to worry about her personal guard being injured if she decided to create a snowstorm that zapped all the heat out of a room and turned it into a frozen graveyard.

Her thoughts were then drawn to Edward, from what Kristoff said, he held his own against Envy. He could very well do the same to the other four but all that hinged on him actually wanting to. He was always looking toward leaving but was forced to stay under some circumstance, she hadn't said anything but was happy he stayed but felt guilty he was being forced to. There have been many times she would sit in her study and debate going down to the training yard and telling him he was free to leave. Once she worked up the nerve to and as she walked outside, she saw him instructing one guard one on one.

For the life of her she didn't know the young guard's name but she watched Edward patiently instruct him in sword forms with a warm smile on his face. They went on for a while with her watching from behind the stone entrance to the courtyard, she watched him joke and laugh with the young guard to keep up his spirits. It warmed her heart to see him smile and not have the tortured look on his face whenever he thought about the past.

Staying in Arendelle had brought a happier smile on his face and she couldn't bare for that to stop so she said nothing. There was however, one thing that she really wanted to know, she had asked him about it once before but he never answered her. While she was grateful for him saving her she still wanted to know _why. _

The amount of effort he went through for her rivaled her sister's when she went up to her ice palace. There was also the look on his face when he saved her from those men who were about to rape her, the utter look of rage that she had never seen on another human being's face before. Then when they were in the cave she could see his tense muscles as when he asked her if they had raped her, when she told me they didn't she could tell he wanted to walk out the cave and go back to the bandit hideout to finish what he started. His usually calm and composed persona utterly shattered during her kidnapping and she wanted to know why.

A little voice in the back of her mind, made her stomach do flips when it gave her a reason why.

_He honestly and truly cares about you._

The Queen had to force herself to clear her mind and put Edward out of her head for a moment. She was not going to indulge that line of thought with her council in the same room as her. For now she needed to be the Queen of Arendelle, not Elsa the woman who still had lingering feelings of loneliness.

"No to be quite honest, I've been to occupied to consider choosing one."

Perhaps it was the wrong answer but it was an honest one. The Duke frowned before clearing his throat.  
"While it is true important preparations for the Winter Solstice Gathering has been piling up, choosing a personal guard is also important due to the security risk as well as the image it will portray to our allies. Some of them have noticed you stand alone on the throne, while it shows strength and independence, it also could be taken that you'd rather rule alone and that no one can approach you. Having a personal guard or a _King _would show stronger front, and that Arendelle would not fall should you fall."

Elsa was inclined to agree to a point, most of her allies had noticed her being on her own and made few comments about it. Some ranged from her being ripe for the picking for their Princes or that she was so arrogant that nothing could touch her thanks to her ice abilities. It wasn't that she meant anything by it but when it came to politics the smallest details sounded louder than a cannon.

"I understand your concern and will take time to handle the situation."

Marquis Schneizel chose that time to speak after being silent for so long. "Why not let the council handle the selection? If you are too busy your Majesty we can just as easily pick up some of the slack."

Elsa looked at the man and could admit it made sense but she still wasn't sure how she should feel about the council picking someone to stay with her at all times. Elsa wanted to say no but the Queen of Arendelle indulged the man.

"How do you suppose to go about picking my champion?"

"A tournament with the position as the prize. The guards have always had small skirmishes here and there but with a tournament we can get them to let out their frustration as well as find the most skilled out of all of them." Again, Elsa didn't like the idea of violence being waged over her but the Queen could see merit in the idea. She had already shown interest in their idea and couldn't help but feel it be disrespectful if she turned around and denied their request.

"That sounds like a fine idea, however we have to take precautions so one will be hurt in this tournament."

The older man nodded and the meeting quickly came to a close. With her council all leaving the room, Elsa was finally about to groan and put her hands over her face as she rubbed her temples. The workload the last few days had really drained her and made her wish she could rest for the day but she gathered her documents and made her way to her study. She still needed to meet with Kristoff and discuss whatever important thing he needed to talk about. She made her way to her study and with a winter wind she opened her door to see Kristoff sitting stiffly in a chair waiting for her, what she didn't expect was Edward leaning against her desk with his arms crossed.

The mountain man had arrived soon after Edward returned from the village. He had spent the last few hours going all throughout Arendelle setting up his surprise when he got back to the castle. While he and the ice harvester waited for Elsa, Edward spent the entire time going over what Kristoff would say to the Snow Queen. At first it was positively painful to get the words in order but after a few attempts the mountain man could at least stutter out the words to the young man.

When the door opened, and the two men turned to look at a very exhausted looking Elsa, they both cringed. Edward wanted to ask if she was ok but knew full well that was an irrelevant question since she'd likely just wave off their concern. Kristoff on the other hand couldn't stop himself from asking.

"Elsa are you ok?"

The platinum blonde walked around her desk dropped the stack of documents and regally sat in her chair with her hands folded in her lap with a patient smile on her face. "I'm fine thank you for asking. So what was it you wanted to discuss?"

Edward had to stop himself from clapping, if he hadn't seen her exhausted form a moment ago, he wouldn't have guess she was tired. Her appearance gave it away but the way she transformed to a regal and perfect Queen was quite impressive. Kristoff must've felt the same but chose to say nothing and get to the reason why he was here.

It was at this moment that he began to sweat, his eyes started to dart around the room to avoid meeting Elsa's. He also started to wring his hands before he spoke.

"W-well I-I'd like to t-t-thank you for a-all you've done f-for me…" The usually confident mountain man stuttering like a timid child made the blonde raise an eyebrow as she watched Edward put his face in his hand. Before the ice harvester could continue, the young man behind him slapped the back of his head making his mind clear and blurt out what he wanted to ask.

"IwantyourpermissiontomarryAnna!"

Edward could make out the words since he knew ahead of time but Elsa didn't seem able to understand and asked he repeat that but at a slower pace. Kristoff rubbed the back of his head where his friend slapped him before he spoke again and to his surprise he didn't stutter this time.

"I want your permission to marry Anna."

That time Elsa heard him and she couldn't stop her eyes widening and her mouth going slack. Most would wait for the person they were asking for a blessing to get over their shock but the mountain man remembered Edward he needed be confident if he wanted to convey how serious he was about marrying Anna.

"I love her, she has shown me many things and brought warm light to my world whenever she flashed her beautiful smile. We've only known each other for a year but I can confidently say there's nowhere I'd rather be then have her at my side. She's headstrong, reckless, stubborn, and gets way in over her head but she's sweet, loving, cheerful, supporting and the warmest person I know. I know that there are many other men who could offer so much more than I can but I promise you that I will love and protect her to my dying breath. So please, I humbly beg that you give me your blessing."

_That _made Edward clap a little, Kristoff was shaky at first but he managed to finish strong. That was one of the most heartfelt confessions the young man had heard in a while. Elsa's shock was still on her face before it melded into one of the most beautiful smiles Edward had ever seen. He watched her get out from behind her desk before walking around it and taking Kristoff's hands in hers. A few tears began to slip out of her eyes.

"Yes, of course a dozen times yes. I can see that you care for my sister and after all you've done for her, I know you wouldn't go back on your words. I don't care if other men could offer her all the riches in the world, I'm only interested in someone who loves her for her and nothing else."

Kristoff let out a breath he was unknowingly holding when Elsa gave him a tight hug. It was odd for the woman to engage in such things but he couldn't help but smile as he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back trying to convey the happiness that radiated from him. Edward stood off to the side with a smile on his face as he watched Kristoff show Elsa the ring and explained that the emerald stone was a protection crystal. The mountain man confessed he didn't know how it worked but the platinum blonde didn't care, the thought was more than enough.

When she asked when he planned on proposing, he surprised her saying he planned on doing it tomorrow. He wanted to set up something up for the redhead and he didn't want any help dong it so Elsa accepted that and watched him leave to prepare for his proposal. When the door closed the blonde noticed that Edward hadn't moved from his space close to the fireplace. She faced him with a small smile and her hands folded, this was a chance for her to ask him why he did what he did but he spoke first.

"Gotta love the big lug huh? You should've seen him an hour ago, he couldn't get one word out of his mouth. If I hadn't given his brain a little _nudge _then we'd be sitting here all night as stuttered that confession to you." Elsa couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped her lips. Truly when she watched him slap Kristoff on the back of his head, she laughed really hard on the inside but forced herself to remain in her Queen mode thinking the mountain man was asking something from her and not Elsa.

"Yes it seems that your quick thinking saved us a great deal of time."

"Time we can now spend more productively." As he finished speaking, Edward walked over to the side of her desk and pulled out a pink decorated little box. She recognized it as her secret stash of milk chocolate treats she had hidden for long days of work, like today.

"Such a wonderful box of delights you have hidden here…" Elsa could use some right now and was about to ask he relinquish her treats so she could eat them and get back to work but he opened the box and to her horror they were all gone. She knew that she had at least half a box of them yesterday and she hadn't touched them today.

"…only for none to be found." Edward knew he was playing a dangerous game, the subtle drop in temperature that enveloped the room gave away that Elsa was not amused. Luckily for him, he was already conditioned for the cold not to mention his body generated so much body heat due to his increase of blood flow when it was necessary. He stared down Elsa's cold stare as she ground out the next few words in barely concealed frustration.

"Where. Are. The. Rest?"

Edward pretended to think about the question for a moment as he waited for the room to get colder and colder. He knew Elsa wouldn't threaten him with her magic but the pent up fatigue and frustration made her let her control slip a bit. Before long, he looked over to her desk and noticed the documents were one big block of ice.

"Ahh the rest, oh you see, I ate them." That simple sentence made Elsa halt the slight cold wind in the room as she looked at him with a dumbstruck expression. He could feel some small pings of anger begin to surface but he had cut her off before she could say anything else.

"Yes I did freeze them and fell terrible for doing so and would like to purchase more to repay you but I haven't the faintest idea where I would get them. If it wouldn't be too much to ask, could you please escort me to where you acquire them from?" Elsa couldn't believe what he had said with a smile on his face. Her she was working her butt off and he comes and eats her entire stash of chocolate that helps her get through the day and _then _he tells her she needs to go with him and to replace her lost stock when she had work to do?

Elsa narrowed her eyes and walked back to her desk with an annoyed expression. "I do not have the time to escort you, you will have to ask one of the castle staff to help you, I have more work to attend to."

"Oh you mean the paperwork that isn't relevant until _after _the Winter Solstice Gathering? I think you'll find it difficult to get anything done, especially after you just froze your entire desk and everything on it." Elsa looked confused for a moment before realizing that all the documents she had were all frozen together, the ink she had set to the side was also frozen solid as well as all her desk drawers. She hadn't even noticed the winter winds in her study as she focused on Edward who didn't seem to be bothered by it as he kept that annoying but cute smirk on his face.

Before Elsa could focus on thawing out her space, Edward interrupted her concentration. "Did you know that an Elemental's magic is tied to their mental state as well as their emotional state? If one goes without proper rest for an extended period of time focusing their magic becomes very difficult. Which leads me to my next point, you've been running yourself ragged and need to rest."

Elsa's automatic denial was on the tip on her tongue but died when she found her eyes locked on Edward's stern expression. The playful manner he had a moment ago was gone, and it was at that moment she admitted to herself she was exhausted. She longed for rest but felt the kingdom would burn if she didn't watch every moment of everyday.

"Arendelle needs me to continue working…"

She said it in a feeble voice as she leaned back against her chair the exhaustion showing on her face from days of going full throttle. Edward walked to her side and leaned against the desk with his arm crossed, looking down at her like a patient parent waiting for their children to admit they were wrong. She looked up and could ell he wasn't going to say anything until she herself said the words out loud. She wanted to deny him saying she was fine but his soul deep blue eyes had her whispering.

"I need to rest…"

Edward nodded his head and pulled out her chair ready to lead her back to room to sleep when a knock sounded on the door to the study. Elsa was about to answer but Edward had put a finger to his lips to signal her to be quiet. He had her crouch behind the desk to hide herself as he opened the door to find Earl Edward standing outside.

"Where is the Queen?"

Edward already didn't like the way the Earl talked, it was like he thought himself so superior to the young man and wasn't afraid to show it. Fighting to keep his expression neutral, Edward answered with an even tone.

"I believe she went to her chambers to rest, as you've seen lately she needs to rest."

The Earl scoffed as he shook his head. "Nonsense there are many things that need to be discussed, she doesn't have time to rest." The older man made to move toward her Elsa's chambers when Edward's hand hastily shot out and grabbed his expensive coat arm. The Earl whirled around with an incredulous expression on his face as he couldn't believe this commoner had the audacity to grab him.

"I suggest you let go of me boy."

Edward for once began to regret picking his fake name if it meant sharing it with this asshole. However he let go of the man before executing a bow and apologized.

"I apologize my lord, but I must impress the importance that the Queen rests. If I may ask what is so important that can't be discussed tomorrow" The Earl lightly chuckled at the young man's yield to his authority and decided he could throw this lowly dog a bone

"It has come to the council's attention that the Queen has received multiple courtship offers and she hasn't responded to a single one. This is unacceptable, she needs to be advise on how beneficial a political marriage could be for Arendelle." Edward fought hard to stop himself from scowling in front of the man's face as he tried thinking of an appropriate response.

Elsa could sleep a few hours instead of having to defend her choice on the matters of her marital status. She wasn't a little girl, she was the Queen and she was well in her right to tell them to fuck off and let her sleep. It was clear due to his mood that he wouldn't be able to offer an appropriate response so he just bowed his head and watch the Earl walk toward Elsa's chambers. Closing the door behind him, Edward turned to see Elsa get out from under her desk with a sad smile.

"A Queen's work is never done…"

He watched her approach the door and was probably going to talk to the Earl but Edward blocked her way out. "No, that can wait tomorrow. You're off for the rest of the day and that's final." In the back of his head he wonder what made him basically give a Queen an order and fully expected her to knock him down a peg for doing so but to his relief she only laughed.

"That's easier said than done, if I try to sleep in my room people will come to it looking for me. They will also tear the castle apart looking for me if they can't find me. What do you suppose I do if you're so insistent that I rest?"

To her surprise, Edward had a wide smile on is face. "I already have a plan for that."

Edward had Elsa hide in her study as he left for about ten minutes before returning with Gerda in tow. The older woman had already been brought into the young man's plan and helped set it up. The two of them knew that most would freak out if they couldn't find her which is why Gerda had the staff begin spreading rumors throughout the day that Elsa had fallen ill and had taken refuge in her room. People would still inquire as to her condition so Edward planned to have Gerda standby in Elsa's room to kick anyone out who wanted to see her. The noise would of course wake up the sleeping blonde so Edward asked if Elsa could make a life sized sculpture of herself to plant in her bed while she slept somewhere else. The platinum beauty was amused by the request and did her best to make a life sized replica of herself with the diminished amount of control she had over her magic.

Edward managed to sneak the ice replica into her room and had Gerda stand guard now they just needed to find a place for Elsa to sleep. The young man was about to suggest some abandoned part of the castle but the blonde had crossed her arms and refused to remove from her spot in her study. Confusion laced the young man's expression as he was about to ask if she wanted to sleep in here but stopped when the woman grabbed her empty chocolate box and waved it back and forward.

"You still owe me a box of milk chocolate."

Edward turned to her with an unbelieving expression, he used the chocolate stash to get a rise out of her to freeze her paperwork. "I'll get you some later but for now we need to find you somewhere to sleep."

It was Elsa's turn to smirk, as she slowly walked up to him until she was a foot away from him and poked him in the chest with the box. "I want them _now. _Either you get them or I'll find Earl Edward and tell him that the rumor was exaggerated." The young man's mouth dropped as he realized that she was blackmailing him using his own plan against him. He now slightly regretted messing with her chocolate stash as he sighed.

"Alright wait here and I'll be back with a box." Before he could leave, Elsa stopped him by grabbing his sleeve and looking at him with an amused expression.

"I do believe I remember you saying you don't know where I get these from so I needed to escort you. Well now that I have time, I can spend it _productively." _Elsa let him go and walked over toward the window of her study causing to look after her.

"I was kidding and the point of this is to get you rest not sneak you out of the castle for some chocolate." Elsa laughed her melodious laughter before getting to the window and pulling on a torch holder next to it. Edward could hear gears turning in the wall as one of the bookshelves slid aside revealing a hidden passageway.

"Oh my dear Edward I'll _always _have enough energy to go grab chocolate." From the inside of the passageway there was a violet cloak that Elsa donned and it completely hid her form, making the young man think this wasn't the first time the woman had snuck out. She looked back with her mischievous smile that sent a shudder throughout his whole body before gesturing to the passageway.

"Coming?"

The sky began to darken as the two emerged from behind an alleyway of an abandoned building. The passageway went underground under the water until it came out in the shopping district of Arendelle. Elsa led the way as the two went through Arendelle weaving in and out of the crowds. Elsa kept her head down to avoid others from seeing her while Edward kept his head on a swivel spotting guards and walking into their line of sight to shield the blonde from view.

Before long, they arrived at a small bakery, the owner was a young woman who had a penchant for chocolate treats that made the royal sisters her most frequent customers. Edward held the door open for Elsa as he walked in behind her. The owner hadn't noticed the blonde's cloaked form but had definitely noticed Edward and couldn't help but trace her eyes over the muscles on his forearms his rolled up sleeves left exposed.

Edward had scanned the bakery as he walked in and was glad to see it was empty save the young woman who was behind the counter. Elsa obviously had the run of the place as she darted off to one of the shelves that had rows of pink boxes. The young man not wanting the owner to pay too much attention to the blonde approached her and leaned on the counter to speak with her. She was pretty that was the first thing that came to mind, her black hair was tied in a tight bun to keep from getting in her way. Her green eyes stared back at him with fascination while her rosy red lips smiled at him.

"Hello sir is there anything I can do for you?" The way she said it as well as the way her eyes lingered on his form made the young man raise an eyebrow. If he didn't know better, he would think she was flirting with him but shook his head dispelling the thought.

"I'm just here to pick up some chocolate, nothing special."

The woman smiled before gesturing to the shelves in the store. "Well I have a large selection to choose from however…" it was at that moment the woman placed a silk hand on his forearm and dragged it along tracing his muscles.

"…there are other treats that are available."

_Now _he knew she was flirting with him. While yes as he admitted earlier she was pretty and surely had men tripping themselves to get her attention, he didn't feel any desire to indulge in what she had planned. Still her attention was totally on him and not on Elsa so he supposed he could play along for the time being.

"Other treats huh, I'm pretty much sold on chocolate, milk chocolate to be specific, I'm not sure if these other treats would be as tasty."

She laughed before leaning closer so she could whisper in his ear. "I'm quite sure that I can have you sold on this tasty treat." Before Edward could respond a cold wind blew through the bakery and hit the two o them directly. The woman instantly shivered as she looked behind the young man to see the door to the shop was wide open. She went to close it to keep the cold air out while Edward took a chance to look around for Elsa.

To his dismay, she was gone.

_Shit!_

He didn't feel any large amount of anger so that ruled out someone forcibly taking her again. As he came to enjoy staying in Arendelle, he learned to ignore small undercurrents of wrath here and there, keeping track of them all drove him insane. It wasn't until he saw the ice encased box of chocolate that he groaned in his head.

The owner shut the door and turned back toward him with a smile. "That was odd, oh well now we can get back to our earlier conversation. The bakery's about to close but you can stay to sample those _treats_ we were discussing. "

Edward didn't have time, he hastily grabbed one of the milk chocolate boxes and put more than enough money on the counter before running past her without saying a word. He stopped outside looking for the violet cloak, when he at first couldn't visually pick out the clothing. He decided to open his senses of every single source of anger around him. It took a moment to sift through them but he finally latched onto one that had the bitter feeling of someone who was hurt and upset.

_I can't believe he would do that with me standing right there…_

_I thought after what he went through that maybe…_

Edward cursed, he probably should've explained himself before doing what he did. He would apologize as soon as he caught up to the blonde that was moving away at a very fast pace but now that he locked onto her, there was no way he was losing her. Surprisingly she didn't run back toward the castle, instead she was heading toward the large clock tower he's seen a couple of times. With a destination in mind, the young man took off with purpose.

* * *

Elsa had quickly went through the doors of the clock tower before closing them behind her. She then went on to climbing the large stairs that led to the very top. Unknown to most, the clock tower was her favorite place to be while she was in Arendelle, it was high above everything else and gave her an amazing view of Arendelle. Also people rarely came up here so she could have a place to herself. She could freely use her magic up here and think through her problems or whatever weighed on her mind.

What weighed on her mind this very moment didn't have anything to do with Arendelle or her duties. What really bothered her now was seeing Edward flirt with someone he just met right in front of her.

Rationally, she knew that there was no reason she should be upset. Edward was a very attractive male, most women would swoon to be caught up in his strong embrace. She herself had felt a warmth in them that she never felt before when he held her in that embrace. Elsa couldn't exactly blame the owner of the bakery for noticing and desiring the young man.

What upset her was that he seemed to respond to her advances.

When Edward had wanted her to take the rest of the day off, part of her wanted to spend it sleeping while another part of her wanted to spend it with him. She couldn't deny that she was drawn to him, the way he would be humorous around others to keep the mood light but knew when to be serious showed he was very insightful. She also couldn't help but enjoy discussing philosophies as well as trivial things with him. She could easily share her thoughts and he wouldn't judge her for any of them. Elsa also appreciated how much he trusted her to confide into her everything in his past, it was intimate knowledge that exposed how tortured he was but was willing to share it with her.

She thought that perhaps they've grown quite close together. She didn't know when but there were times she'd have certain feelings when she thought of the young man. Elsa at first thought it had something to do with the damsel effect of when someone would fall for their rescuer but she realized even before then her thoughts still went out to him.

She remembered one time Anna asked her about how she felt about the young man when they had a sleepover. Of course she tried saying that she valued him as a friend but the redhead didn't accept that and dug deeper and deeper until Elsa admitted that she enjoyed spending time with him. She also admitted she found herself thinking about him whenever she was alone with her thoughts. Her sister seemed ecstatic to hear that the blonde had an interest in a man and encouraged her to spend more time with him. Elsa of course denied the suggestion saying she was far to busy to do so and it wasn't like she was _actually _attracted to him.

But deep down she could admit to herself that she was.

And she thought that maybe he felt the same. His desire to protect her was genuine, enough for him to tap into Wrath for a short time to ensure her safety. There was also the time they spent in the cave, they were so close that night and she felt safe and warm when he wrapped his arm around her and allowed her to cry into him.

These feelings she had made it harder for her to see him want to leave Arendelle and she couldn't stop herself from convincing him to stay. The fact he stayed twice because of her must've meant _something, _right?

But if he was willing to just mess with some random woman he barely met than the blonde guessed she was wrong. She had quickly froze the box of chocolates an took off not giving him a chance to say anything. Elsa knew that she should've returned to the castle but when the hurt filled adrenaline wore of and she was already nearing the top of the clock tower, she supposed she could wait for a while and set her thought out before going back.

She had reached the door that led to the balcony on the outside of the clock tower and knew it must've been dark outside by now. She would just stay out for a few minutes catch her breath and go back to the castle. As she opened the door, the first thing she noticed was that one of the wooden dolls that stood on top of the balcony was holding a pink box of milk chocolates. Why this was up here baffled the blonde but it was when she heard her name being called like it was a precious treasure by the very man she was thinking about.

Walking out to from behind the clock she saw Edward was leaning against the other doll with his arms crossed. His face wasn't irritated in the slightest that she ran off, instead a guilty expression that pulled on the platinum beauty's heartstrings was on his face. She at first wondered how he could've possibly known where she was but another thought popped into her head, how had he managed to get to the balcony before she could?

The logical part of her mind wanted those answers but the emotional part of her wanted just one question answered.

_Why had he come after her?_

"Elsa…" The way he said her name like a caress set her off. Her face morphed into that of the ever regal Snow Queen before she spoke in a detached tone.

"I see you didn't need an escort so I thought I should leave you to the very important matters that you needed to attend to." Edward could feel the waves of anger coming off her but to her credit it didn't show on her face or voice. He knew he really stepped into it if she was defaulting to her Queen persona instead of just being Elsa when it was just the two of them on top of a clock tower.

"Elsa, that wasn't what you thought it was. I didn't want her to notice you and alert anyone that you were in the village and not in the castle so I went to talk with her to keep her attention away from you."

"What do you mean by 'what I think' its none of my business who you choose to spend your time with. As for your need to always protect me whether it be from physical threats as well as just gaining attention, I can assure you my guards are adequate and your services are not required. In fact, you've been intending to leave but had always been forced to stay. I would like to thank you for all you've done for Arendelle and offer you the option to leave."

Hearing her saying he could just leave put a frown on the young man's face. He wasn't being _forced _to stay, he could leave whenever he pleased but for some reason he chose not to. He thought that perhaps he didn't leave Arendelle because it was one of the one places he felt at peace just being there. Another part of him thought he didn't leave because of the woman in front of him. He admitted that the blonde meant something to him, both to Anna and to himself. Most things came second when compared to her and he honestly didn't know why.

Even the bakery owner couldn't hold a candle to the blonde and she was probably the reason he had no desire to entertain her.

Elsa meant something to him and hearing her trying to dismiss him like this honestly upset him more than it should.

"First of all, I'm not being forced to stay here, I _chose_ to stay here. Second, why did you feel the need to leave the bakery without a word? You could've ran into some trouble and I might've not been there to save you."

Edward caught another wave of anger before the blonde marched up to him and let her Queen persona crumble under her angry expression. "I am not a little girl! I can take care of myself just fine, I don't need some big strong man to come to my rescue on a whim!"

The young man matched her anger with his own and for once Elsa could see the fire behind his blue eyes and not his red ones. "On a whim? You think I drag myself after you on a whim?! Whim doesn't even begin to describe why I came after you, why I went after you alone when I thought you might be in trouble, why I climbed this damn clock tower with a box of chocolates in my hand when I realized you left that bakery without saying anything!"

They were both yelling at each other now, thankfully the height they were at made their voices die as the wind blew but to them, they were the deafening to one another.

"Then why, tell me why you did all of this then?!"

"Because I care about you!"

"If you care about me so much then why do you want to leave me?!"

Edward had his answer on the tip of his tongue and was about to yell it but couldn't bring himself to when he saw the hurt expression on her face. It just now seemed to dawn on him the emotional weight on the words she just said. She took him leaving him Arendelle as him leaving _her. _He knew that he had become very close to the blonde, too close for what he thought was safe but he couldn't bring himself to regret doing so.

At first leaving was all he focused on but slowly his thoughts shifted to her instead and ideas on how he could control Wrath so he wouldn't have to leave. Being around her was a gift on its own, one he enjoyed because with her he felt free of all the terrible things in his life and could enjoy what it felt like to be human again. However Wrath still plagued his mind, after his defeat to the demon it took a few days before he had access to his abilities again. The demon was silent, it didn't take any opportunities to torment the young man, it almost felt like Wrath was becoming docile versus its explosive anger it exhibited the last time they faced one another.

Edward suspected it had something to do with the blonde whenever she was around, Wrath was compliant. He didn't know why but with him not having to keep an eye on the demon, he could enjoy the little things throughout his day. The blunt yet humorous cracks the Captain would make from it being so early in the morning, Kristoff's jolly attitude when he picked ice, his batch of guards joking and fighting each other to prove who was better, Anna's bubbly optimist outlook on everything…

The simple smile on Elsa's face that was the most beautiful thing he has ever seen.

It was nice, he actually could slowly enjoy his life again. Before all he had was a purpose to destroy the monster that killed his mother but now he could do anything he wanted when he wanted and he found he enjoyed living in Arendelle.

Edward sighed and the anger in his chest deflated as he placed his back on the clock and slid down it until he was sitting down. He didn't have to see her face to know that hers had soften since he backed down first but it still maintained a pained expression after saying what was on her mind.

"I don't want to but you know why I have to…"

Even he had to admit that his voice was pitiful and his reason was starting to become repetitive but it was all he had. Elsa knew why, he was deathly afraid of losing himself to Wrath, just like how she used to be. No matter how much she assured him she knew that the only way for him to overcome his fear was for him to accept it as a part of him. It was ultimately up to him to do so and as much as she wanted to she couldn't help him if he wasn't willing to let her. The blonde chose at this time to take a seat next to him and scoot close enough for their arms to brush as she tried to convey her words' sincerity.

"Edward I've met Wrath twice, both times nothing happened to me, you can even use some of his power when you want to. If you can do that then there's no doubt in my head you can learn control."

"The first time was luck that I was able to aim it at the bandits, the second time it couldn't get through the barrier and would've killed me if Grand Pabbie didn't intervene."

"Grand Pabbie himself said there's a way to control Wrath, you can keep visiting him until you do and wont have to be afraid of hurting anyone else again."

"That's the thing Elsa, I can _never _stop worrying about Wrath taking me over. Father still has a hold on this body, if he orders it, I get a front seat to watch my body kill innocent people again. _That's _what I'm afraid of, just knowing he's out there scares me. Especially after what Grand Pabbie told us, an _Ice Elemental _froze his heart and stopped him the first time. Imagine what he'll do if he finds out that I'm close to you. He made me kill three hundred families just to enrage his enemies, I don't want to even think of what he could have me do to you. Elsa you're a threat to him and somehow by the grace of God he hasn't made a move on you yet, the last thing I want is for him to use me against you."

Elsa should've felt happy to know he cared for her safety to strongly but in her heart she couldn't help but feel it begin to crumble. She didn't mean to but she whispered the words that were in hurting her heart and hoped he wouldn't hear.

"So you only care about my safety because my magic could stand against this Father person?"

Of course he heard her and he couldn't stop himself from reaching out and wrapping an arm around her shoulders to bring her closer. He fixed her with an intense stare as he chose his next words very carefully.

"Elsa, I care about you because you mean something to me. I honestly don't know what, but I do know when I'm around you I can finally feel human. You're more than your magic or your status as Queen, I would've done what I did if you had neither because I can't stand the idea of you being hurt. You've given me the strength to face my oldest friend and consoled me when I relived the pain of what I've done after confiding into you what I did. I could see the horror on Anna's and Kristoff's faces but you accepted what I did right away and didn't judge me for it. You've helped me remember how bright life can be when my life has been covered in anger and pain, that's why I care about you and will continue to do so even if I do lose my body to Wrath."

The blonde felt her heart swell at his words and couldn't help but scoot even closer to him. The warmth he radiated penetrated her cool skin and set her body ablaze. Looking up at him as he looked out to Arendelle, she leaned up and pecked him on the cheek which caused him to look back at her. It was then that timed seemed to stop, she had only meant to thank him for his words but her all her thoughts evaporated as she stared into his eyes. Their faces were close to one another and neither of them said a thing. The intense look he sent her way called to her and she answered the call by closing the last couple of inches between them and planted her lips against his.

It was timid and short but to them it felt like an eternity, Edward couldn't help but wrap his other arm around her pulling her closer and onto his lap and she couldn't help but put her hand on his chest feeling his strong heartbeat and leaned into him more deepening the kiss. His fingers traveled down her slim back drinking the sweet sounds she made from his touch. After a moment they separated, Edward's arm still kept her close and for a moment just for a moment _everything _felt perfect having her in his arms and she staring him with as much emotion as he did back to her.

Unfortunately it was only for a moment.

The clock behind them loudly chimed signaling it was getting close to midnight. The young man had completely missed his training sessions he planned on attending after he set Elsa to bed. That made him think of why he was training them in the first place, to better protect Elsa and be able to replace him so he could leave and ensure Wrath didn't hurt anyone.

Instead of focusing on that, here he was on a clock tower, with the Queen of Arendelle in his arms and _kissing _her. The logical part of his mind was overloaded with the many contradictions his actions had created but one had stood out among the rest. If he continued getting closer to Elsa, Father would have the perfect tool to dispose of her and it would be all his fault. The war in his mind must've shown on his face because Elsa's turned into one of concern.

"What's wrong?"

The earnest tone she took made him want to tear out his stone right then and there and kiss her senseless as his body dissolved into dust and keep doing it until he died. He couldn't do this, he wanted to, God knew he wanted to. Hell Wrath probably knew to because he could feel the demon becoming flustered in his body, sick as it made him feel, the demon enjoyed the kiss as well. The next words he spoke brought about a new sort of pain that never in his life had he felt.

"I don't want to hurt you…I can't trust myself not to hurt you…Elsa I can't, _we _can't…"

He couldn't finish the sentence but he didn't have to, she understood what he meant. Slowly and excruciatingly painful she left his arms and rose to her feet with him rising with her. They kept their distance from one another as neither said anything and made their way down the clock tower. Barely anyone was out so her cloak was hardly needed but she kept it on regardless. Edward walked a step behind her with the box of chocolates in his hand, dying was less painful than what he felt right now.

He kept trying to tell himself it was necessary but it sounded hollow in his head. The two of them had just walked past the Lumberjack's Heart as Elsa stopped and put on a fake smile on her face before turning to face him.

"I appreciate you trying to look out for me today and I'm sorry you missed your instruction with the Captain. I can make my way back to the castle on my own, you should get some rest." She held out a hand for the box of chocolates but Edward kept it close to his chest.

"I'm not leaving you until I know you're safe in bed."

Elsa appreciated the gesture but didn't know what to say, she wanted to be closer to the young man but at the same time she wanted to run far away from him. She knew she meant a lot to him but his fear if hurting her made him push her away to protect her. She used to think it was more painful to be the one pushing away someone they cared about to protect them but she was wrong, it was much more painful to be the one pushed away.

"I'll be fine."

He didn't budge as he still looked at her with the same intense expression that made butterflies flutter in her stomach. She dropped her hand before putting on a sad smile and conceded that he wasn't leaving her.

"Then what do you suggest, you don't know the way back out using the secret passageway from my study?"

"I'll just walk out the front door."

"The guards will find that suspicious if you left the castle at such a late hour."

Edward shrugged not caring in he slightest what they could possibly think, he wasn't leaving the blonde's side.

"Edward please, there's no point in you walking past your bed to walk me back and returning to it when you know you have to wake up earlier than me tomorrow."

Edward still wouldn't budge as he threw his arms up and just spouted the first thing that came to mind. "The only way I'm going in my room right now is if you come with me and sleep in my bed."

The blonde's eyes widened and a rosy red blush covered her pale cheeks. The young man didn't realize what he said until he thought about it for a moment and when it clicked, he became flustered and tried to backtrack.

"W-what I mean was, it really late and you need your sleep so you can take my bed and I can sleep on the floor or something and we can sneak you in tomorrow morning." He didn't know what he was thinking suggesting that, the thought of offering his bed _never _crossed his mind, it just came out. He wished he could take it back especially after what happened at the clock tower but he was shocked to hear the woman's answer.

"I wouldn't want to put you out…"

It wasn't what she said that shocked him, it was what he said in response to it when he heard it that shocked him.

"It's no problem at all, I would rather you be in my sight anyway."

_Where the hell did that come from?! _

It was too late to take back what he said as she shyly nodded her head and he lead her inside the inn. No one paid them much attention and in no time they were back in his room. He held out a hand to relieve her of her cloak which she accepted and watched him put it on a coat hanger near the door. She looked around the room remembering being in it before to see nothing had really changed. It was still sparse and ready to be moved out of in a moment's notice. The thought sadden her a bit but she pushed the thought out of her head.

"You take the bed." Edward was already sitting in a new chair he had likely bought after breaking the old one. The blonde looked at the simple wooden chair and wondered if he really planned on sleeping in that chair all night. She hesitated but thawed her ice heels and slid under the covers and settled in while the young man sat next to her and closed his eyes.

Some time passed as she laid there in his bed, she could smell the scent of metal and leather, probably from him handling weapons all day and messing with the leather training uniforms that prevented injuries when they sparred with blunted weapons. She enjoyed smelling it and being enveloped in something that belonged to him but oddly for once she felt cold.

She _never _felt cold before, but today she finally experienced what is what like to feel it. The thing was she didn't feel it from the outside, she felt it from the inside. Elsa squirmed and shifted under the comforter trying to get warm but for she couldn't. She then decided to just deal with it and attempted to fall asleep but try as she might it evaded her. She wondered if Edward was also having difficulties sleeping in such an uncomfortable position so she turned over to see if he had fallen asleep but to her surprise he was wide awake with his eyes watching her.

Edward knew he wouldn't be able to sleep, too many thoughts ran rampant in his mind and he couldn't make sense of them no matter how hard he tried. Finally deciding to give up on sleep, he couldn't help but look over to the blonde's still form, he listened to her breathing and could tell she hadn't fallen asleep either but said nothing as he watched her squirm in the covers. He wondered why she would need to since she shouldn't be cold due to her being an Elemental but he still chose to say nothing. It wasn't until she turned back over and met his eyes did he finally speak.

"Having trouble sleeping?"

She looked sheepish as she nodded.

"is there anything I can get you, I'm sure the bartender downstairs has some tea that could help?"

"No I'm fine, please just stay."

He couldn't help but tense up at her word choice. He knew she meant in the room but part of him felt that she meant stay with her. It hurt every time he was reminded that he needed to leave before he got too attached. This distress on his face made her sit up in the bed and put a soft hand on his shoulder.

"What's wrong."

"Nothing," The flat tone made her drop her arm and he instantly felt the loss of warmth her single touch gave him. She was only trying to help and didn't deserve such a tone. Before she could turn her back on him he placed a hand on hers making her look back at him.

"I'm sorry, its nothing important, just…my mind is jumbled right now and is preventing me from falling asleep."

"What's on your mind?"

_You. _

"Nothing important, I'll be fine you can go to sleep."

He let go of her hand and expected her to slide under the covers but instead she grabbed his sleeve making him look back at her nervous expression. She seemed to be debating on what to say but finally she opened her mouth and spoke.

"…could you sleep with me?"

The request caught him off guard and he knew that he wanted to but he had to remind himself that he needed to distance himself from her. "Elsa you know I can't…"

"I know, but just for tonight…"

It was a bittersweet request, one that he really thought about. He wanted to, more than anything he wanted to, if he could gain complete control of Wrath forever or lay in her arms he'd choose the latter. He was afraid to because he didn't know if he'd be able to pry himself from her when the morning came but the hopeful look on her face had him slipping under the covers with her. He laid on his back with an arm around her and her head against his chest and he stared at the ceiling.

He could feel her silk like skin under his fingers and he longed to explore but he kept them where they were. Part of him supposed he should be hot with him wearing his clothes under a thick blanket but the cold that radiated from the blonde kept him comfortable. The opposite could be said about Elsa, she was warm in his embrace and felt at peace being in it. She could feel his impressive chest under her and could easily imagine how it looked when she saw his forearms being covered in muscle.

She didn't want this to end but knew it would, he was far too cautious to allow himself to succumb to the feelings she now knew he possessed for her. At the same time she was a Queen, she accepted long ago that she would likely marry for Arendelle's gain and she was sure there would be suitors at the Winter Solstice Gathering. Falling in love with an unknown man who carried a demon ready to kill anything in his way was something she shouldn't do as Queen.

But for tonight, she was just Elsa, and Elsa could freely admit that her favorite place to be as of now was in Edward's arms.

* * *

**Sup guys, new chapter so soon right, well my schedule got whacked and I spent all day in my cot doing nothing so I decided to write another chapter. I really hope ya'll enjoyed this one and I would like ya'll to offer opinions on the pace this romance has taken, I personally feel it's a little rushed but that's why I played up the fact that Ed isn't sure what love is. Please drop a review or pm me, I'm going to attempt to drop another chapter before the weekend but if I can't, I'm definitely have one up on Sunday. **


	21. Chapter 21

It's been a week since he's had her in his arms, even though he was the one to push her away it still stung every time he saw her. To combat the hole she left, Edward dove into his instructor role, his lessons got harder and harsher but he still remained fair. One time he had them come at him in groups of four wielding weapons while he used the katana he commissioned from the blacksmith. He made quick work of them and left a few minor cuts and bruises on their bodies. The people who knew him best could see that something was wrong with the young man but he played off any attempt to find out what.

In other news it was a week since Kristoff proposed to Anna in which she excitedly said yes. For the most part the people of Arendelle rejoiced in the news that their Princess had found happiness with the ice harvester. There were a few noble holdouts that felt she should marry someone of royal station but the wedding was confirmed to take place right after the Gathering during the yuletide holidays.

Currently the most important thing that was going on in Arendelle was the tournament to choose Queen Elsa's personal guard. The council had coordinated with Captain Stonewell to oversee the event with a few conditions added in. First being that there would be no use of lethal weapons during the event, second only the advanced class could participate, and finally neither Captain Stonewell or Edward were allowed to participate due to them being instructors.

The Captain accepted the conditions without too much of a fuss and had Edward spend his free time during the day to take half of his advanced class and teach them to mitigate them from knowing each other's weaknesses. While not much could be done in a week in terms of skill, Edward corrected the small mistakes he noticed here and there with their form or technique as they trained. As he got to know his temporary class, one of them stood out among the others.

Hector Bowman was a noble's son that had joined the Arendelle guard to receive his inheritance. The man was a natural fighter, his skill with a mace set him apart from the guards Edward taught. He knew how to look for a weakness in his opponent's form and exploit it to give him the advantage. The one downside Edward found from the man was that he was a pompous asshat. There have been many times Hector had questioned how qualified he was at instructing them when he was essentially a nobody. Edward didn't feel the need to explain himself and mostly ignored the man as he watched the other guard's spar with one another.

Professionally speaking he should have no opinion of who should win but personally he hoped someone would put Bowman in his place but the task was easier said than done. Even Edward had to admit Hector would give him a run for his money should they fight but he was quite confident in his ability to defeat the noble, even without using Wrath. Still he supposed it wasn't his business who won the tournament, only that they could effectively protect Elsa.

The preparations for the tournament were to be completed tomorrow with it being held in two days after. At the moment Edward was watching Hector spar with another guard when someone tapped him on the shoulder. Turning around, he wasn't too surprised to see it was Anna in one of her winter dresses. He hadn't seen her in a few days since the Captain allowed her to miss a few sessions, his 'early wedding gift' he said. The young man looked down at her left hand to see the ring shining proudly on her hand and it made him smile knowing that she was about to get her happy ending.

However, her face was far from happy. She had a glare aimed straight at him with her arms crossed in a way that looked actually looked adorable to him when he consider all the death glares he's gotten. He could tell she was angry even without Wrath feeling her, he simply ignored it hoping she wouldn't turn it loose on him but knowing it was coming sooner or later.

"There something I can do for you Anna?"

He knew what she was going to say, the morning after he slept with Elsa and brought her back to the castle, Anna was the first one to greet them. When he saw her, he knew it was only a matter of time before the blonde confessed what happened between them and the redhead would be out for his blood.

It took Anna five days to get Elsa to tell her what happened, the young man was surprised the blonde could hold out that long against the firecracker she called her sister. He was heading back to his room when he felt an explosion of anger coming from the castle, and he knew it was aimed at him. Edward was lucky to avoid her for two days but it seemed that today was the day she would get her say.

"Yes you can explain to me why you pushed my sister away when you both basically admitted you had feelings for each other!"

"Technically your sister didn't say she had feelings for me so…"

He didn't know why he was being a smartass but the spike in anger from the woman next to him made him shut his mouth, he remembered being warned she had a vicious right hook.

"You knew she had feelings for you, the little things that go on between you two proved that and you still just let her go?!"

"Its for her sake that she doesn't get close to me, I'm not safe to be around and after I make sure your guards are up to snuff, I'm leaving Arendelle as I originally planned."

Anna threw her hands up and looked ready to tear her pigtails out of her head at the despondent tone the young man used. The redhead was a firm believer that love could conquer anything if someone wanted it enough, the problem was Edward confessed he didn't know anything about love. Despite how angry she was, she felt sorry for him that he pushed down his feelings and used logic instead of following his heart.

She had seen Elsa begin to crack the shield he held over his emotions and let some of them slip out when he was among them. The very few times he was happy around her and Kristoff, made Anna really feel like he was part of their family. However, he always had a focused look in his eye like he was being meticulous in everything he did everyday. She knew Wrath had confessed it wanted to take over Edward's body and that meant the young man had to be on guard at all times. But Elsa had told her of times when the young man looked so happy and his focused look vanished.

The redhead had hit this wall before about the young man leaving and failed every time in getting him to consider staying. She just didn't have the pull her sister did over the young man and with them avoiding one another, there was little keeping him in Arendelle.

"Alright, let's say you leave and go to some remote island where no one's around. Wrath will still be in your head and there will be no one around to help you if it gets loose. Also let's consider that Greed guy comes back and he kidnaps Elsa again, can you really say you wouldn't want to be here to get her back?"

"If Elsa's kidnapped her guards will be well trained and able to rescue her, as for me and Wrath, I don't care if it remains inside me forever, as long as it doesn't hurt other people I'm fine."

Anna looked to say something when a particularly loud clank filled the air and she watched Hector knock his opponent off his feet with a hard swing of his mace. The noble proudly stood over his opponent looking quite full of himself before he began to boast.

"This is getting boring is there anyone here who can give me a real challenge? All I've had lately our little girls playing dress up, if this is the best there is then you all might as well not enter the tournament!"

The redhead could see that the guard on the ground was wheezing from the hit that looked a little too brutal from was agreed to be just a practice spar. Plus the little girl comment irritated her as she watched the smug asshole walk away without even checking on his opponent. Edward and Anna walked over to check on the downed guard and sat him down on one of the benches lining the yard to rest for a moment before turning to watch Hector challenge another guard.

"Please tell me that guy isn't going to be the one with my sister all the time."

"Well he is very skilled and I don't think the council particularly cares on how he behaves, as long as he does the job then its fine."

"Even if he's a butthead?"

"The Captain's a butthead and everyone likes him just fine."

"Oh no Captain Stonewell may be a bit of a pill to swallow but he doesn't behave like that guy."

Edward shrugged, like he thought before, it really wasn't his business who was selected to be Elsa's guard. His only concern was that whoever it was, could protect her effectively. He almost missed the next thing Anna said.

"Why don't you enter the tournament, you could totally beat the pants off that guy."

"One, I'm an instructor thus forbidden to do so and two, that would require me to stay for an ever longer time which isn't possible."

The redhead huffed and decided to give up on trying to convince him _today. _She didn't come out here just to yell at him or convince him to stay, what she really wanted was to convince him to go see Elsa. After they came back a week ago the blonde had been acting strange ever since. To those who only saw her Queen of Arendelle persona they wouldn't notice but to the people closest to her, there was a definite change.

She had taken it easy with her paperwork and generally sat in the gardens just staring out into space for an hour quite often. Her smile never reached her eyes and she would take her meals into her study and not at the dinner table. One really big change was the fact she stopped eating chocolate, Anna knew this because everyday she'd check her stash and the same pink box that Edward had when he brought her back remained unopened.

When she finally got Elsa to confess to what happened she was really happy for her sister that she shared a kiss with someone who really cared for her. It was then she got upset that Edward made it clear that that was the one and only time he'd ever act on his feelings and would behave professionally as long as he stayed here. Elsa then broke down into tears and apologized to Anna for pushing her away when she thought it would protect her and didn't think of how much it hurt her sister.

The redhead wanted to throttle the young man for making her sister cry but could understand where he was coming from.

"You know she misses you right?"

"It's not like I'm very far away, it would take her a five minute walk to see me."

"Then why don't you see her, like you said she isn't very far?"

"There's no reason for me to bother the Queen of Arendelle while I have my job to do."

"So you don't miss her at all?"

Edward remained silent. He knew what she was doing and didn't want to give her any insight on what he might be thinking. Of course he missed her, he missed her everyday for a week since he held her in his arms. He was glad he hadn't seen her or he might've lost his resolve and ran to her as fast as he could. He knew he could've left Arendelle at any time but at this point he could admit that he was finding excuses to stay and tried fooling himself into thinking he was detached from everyone here.

"She's going to have suitors coming next week, men who would love to have her on their arm as their personal little snowflake."

She was trying to get a rise out of him, and it was working. His long sleeved shirt hid the way his arms went taut and his fingers gripped together so hard that he wouldn't be surprised if he broke them soon. He tried really hard but he couldn't stop himself from imagining another man wrapping his arms around the blonde and doing things he himself had fantasized doing against her silk like skin. What really made the image hurt was there were two of them in his mind.

One of them where she wasn't enjoying it and just enduring it. The other was of her losing herself to the pleasure and wanting more.

He honestly didn't know which one would hurt more to think about but in both scenarios, he wanted to tear the man's head off with his bare hands.

Anna saw the way he reacted and couldn't help but smile a little, seems that he did have a heart after all.

The sound of multiple pairs of boots shuffling had the two of them turned around to see a plump man with auburn hair followed by men dressed in brown winter coats embroidered with a symbol of a crossbow on their shoulders. The plump man in the lead an older gentlemen probably closing in on his fifties with side burns that went down his face and connected to his well groomed mustache.

"Father?"

Edward and Anna turned to see Hector walking up to the plump man who was more than likely his father. The older gentleman's face lit up as he opened his arms up and grasped the guard by his arms and heartily patted him on the shoulder.

"Hector my boy! How has training with the guard been treating you?"

"Bored to tears father. None of these guys can hold a candle to me, I'd rather have joined your expeditionary force where I could actually find a challenge, instead of wasting my time here."

The elder Bowman frowned in disapproval before firmly gripping the guard's shoulder to convey his next words. "Son, there is no higher calling than to defend one's home, you're very skilled and would've been a welcomed addition to my force but consider this. The Captain is getting older and older, soon he will need a replacement, that could be you. Think about it the Captain of the Arendelle Guard enjoys many privileges, ones that could allow you to breach into the realm of royalty and find a spouse."

"I'm not really looking to be tied down just yet father, I'm still young and have plenty of opportunities to explore my _options_."

As the nobles continued to talk with what likely seemed to be security for the elder Bowman standing off to the side, Anna leaned down to whisper to Edward.

"They do realize we can hear them right?"

"I honestly doubt they care and to be quite honest I don't care either. If he wants to take the old man's position, he'd better get comfortable because guys like Stonewell would only surrender their position when they're bodies are buried six feet under and not a moment sooner."

Anna couldn't help but chuckle at that, she knew the Captain was all kinds of stubborn. She liked that about him, when she had shown interest in learning to fight, he taught her right away despite the council deeming it improper. She even remembered that one of them tried to demand he stop teaching the Princess, the old man's response was him lightly grabbing the man's jacket and pressed his cigar into it and puffed it until the jacket had a burnt hole through it.

He was like a grumpy grandpa to her and she would hate to see him leave his position to someone like Hector.

"Now what's this I hear about a tournament to select the Queen's personal guard?" The young noble's face lit up as he began to explain in great detail about how it was set up and that the other guards had no chance against him. Edward lost interest until he caught one comment that made him snap two of his fingers.

"Who knows maybe after spending some time with the Queen, I can show her how to heat up her supposedly cold body."

_Oh hell no. _

Edward violently shot to his feet and began taking purposeful strides toward them with his fingers already snapped back into place when he clenched his hands. His blue eyes had flecks of red in them but he fought to keep them blue, this was going to be _all _him, Wrath wouldn't get an ounce of credit from what he did to that bastard of a guard.

_How __**dare **__he even think of Elsa in such a manner, well he won't be thinking very much when I'm done with him. _

Edward was aware to the growing smirk on Anna's face as he continued on his warpath and knew that he was giving her more reason to believe that he actually might be in love with her sister. Honestly he didn't care, the only thing he cared about was getting to the noble's son and make him regret even laying eyes on the blonde.

Unfortunately the large and very firm hand on his shoulder stopped him.

He whirled around to see the Captain with a frown on his face with his usual cigar. Before Edward could push the old man off of him and continue on his warpath, the Captain took the cigar out of his mouth and shouted toward the small group.

"Bowman! I didn't recall scheduling a break! Get your ass back to training before I beat you so bad, your mother regrets opening her legs for that fat fuck you call a father!"

The elder Bowman's face went red in rage as he looked ready to shout at the Captain but his voice died in his throat when he saw the glare the old man gave him. His son quickly rushed off to training knowing that any threat Stonewell made, he was glad to fulfill it. The elder Bowman huffed and turned around to take his leave with his security detail, leaving the Captain, Anna, and a steaming Edward alone in the training yard.

The young man chose at that time to shrug off the older man's hand before turning his way with a glare.

"I didn't need you to do that."

"Obviously you did or you would've assaulted a guard of Arendelle and the security of a noble. Unlike me, you're still a stranger here and the Queen's mercy can't get you out of everything. Had you continued unchecked, the council would use that a reason to pressure the Queen who has stuck up for you multiple times. So I suggest before you lose yourself to that dangerous anger you have that you think of how many people will be affected by it."

Edward deflated when he realized that the old man was right. He _wasn't _thinking about how him beating on the guard would reflect on Elsa's decision that he remain here. Even though the Captain had arranged for him to be an instructor for the guard, it was Elsa who had to explain to the council how a complete stranger was going to be overseeing their security.

The young man looked at the old man who had a patient expression on his face, the usual rock hard front he generally showed wasn't there. In his eyes, Edward could see understanding in them, he must've heard what Hector had said but prioritized watching out for the young man over dealing with the noble's son.

"Look, I get where you're coming from. Hell if it'd been me when I was younger, I would've punched anyone who tried to stop me in the face and continued on my merry way. But with age you learn a few things, your anger isn't necessarily a bad thing if you know how to focus it. You can't let it blind you, only fuel the power in what you do. During our sessions I've watched you, you're always keeping one eye on me and one on yourself. That means you're always paying half attention to the world around you, that's something that could get you killed one day."

Edward could see the logic in what the man was saying but silently thought that he couldn't possibly understand why he always kept an eye on himself. If the old man knew that he was a walking time bomb, the young man was sure that the Captain would be very eager to eliminate the threat that walked around free in Arendelle.

"Well maybe dying isn't the worst thing in the world."

"Soldier's guilt."

"Excuse me?"

The old man took a puff out of his cigar before motioning for the young man to follow him to a bench where they could sit down to talk. Anna tried to follow to listen to the conversation but the Captain raised a hand to stop her. "Don't you have other things to attend to as Princess?"

The redhead groaned as she tried putting on her best puppy dog face to convince the old man to let her listen. Unfortunately for her, the surly grandpa she knew and loved didn't budge. He only pointed in the opposite direction and she pouted before leaving the training yard.

The old man sat down with a huff while taking a puff from his cigar and blowing out the smoke. Edward sat next to him ready to listen as the waited for the Captain to finish with his cigar.

"You have Soldier's guilt, the guilt that comes from something you did that violated your moral compass on the battlefield. It's not uncommon and many soldiers wear it in different ways. There are some who break down over what they did and refuse to fight again, some who embrace their actions and continue to compromise their moral standing for the 'greater good', and others who learn from their mistakes and try to prevent it from happening again." The old man took a break from his explanation to take a puff from his cigar but it was more likely he was giving Edward the chance to let what he was saying to sink in. It was for the most part, the young man thought back to watching Wrath kill all those people with his body and watching Rakat's army cause pain to people unfortunate enough to be in their way. It ate him up to think that it took him so long to finally wrestle control of his own body and fled when he could've stopped them right then and there.

There were times he wished he'd have just stay dead instead of being forced to carry on this new life in which he had to watch himself to prevent the horrors from being repeated.

"You fall under the category where you can't stand to be around innocent people thinking that you might once again do something that'll compromise your moral compass, so you push people away to cope but deep down, you want someone to help you through it."

The young man's eyes widened, he wanted to deny the claim but was more than aware that the old man spoke the truth. He did push people away but he craved Elsa's touch and warmth, she made all of his nightmares go away and let his soul lighter. However, what could he do, even if he accepted what he did and got over his guilt, Wrath was still there waiting for him to slip up. As long as he had Wrath, he needed to be alone and it killed him to admit he didn't want that.

Edward wanted right then and there to tell the Captain about Wrath and ask for his opinion about what he should do but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Instead, he thought about the old man, it was obvious he'd been on the battlefield many times, his posture on its own was always ready for action. The very few times he chose to share stories of his past were often of fighting different enemies from foreign places. From what the young man could tell, war was certainly no stranger to the old man and he couldn't help but wonder if he had any guilt over anything he did in his life.

"What about you, are there things you regret?"

The old man's answer was swift and unexpected.

"No, I regret nothing I've done in this life. Whatever I did, I will gladly do again because it has led me to this point and allowed me the freedom to choose what I do next."

In that moment, Edward felt that the old man couldn't possibly understand him if the Captain had regret _nothing. _Perhaps he was one of the few to have never compromised his moral compass and fought with it intact his entire life. It was noble, but ultimately it undermined this whole conversation.

"Don't be mistaken, I've killed women and children as well as men on orders from my commanders. I remember torturing a man's family right in front of him so he'd give me the intelligence I was sent to collect. What he told me saved the lives of a battalion, men that could go home and see their families because I was willing to dirty my hands." The conversational tone he took when he admitted that sent a chill down Edward's back. Despite all the things he's done, he _never _tortured anyone. All of Wrath's kills were quick so it could get to its next kill. Hearing the Captain admit to torturing a man's family in front of him made the young man a little sick and questioned the sanity of the seemingly just old man.

"It took me a very long time for me to accept what I did and realize if I didn't go through that hell back then, I might be a different person now. When I accepted all my actions, I moved on and reached a point that no one could command me to do something that I would regret. Me and the late King always butted heads when he found out about my bloodied past but he saw that I would protect his people so he made me Captain. My job is to protect Arendelle and I will do so, for me, focusing on what I did everything for keeps me from regretting anything as long as I continue with my job, nothing else matters."

That was more like the Stonewell he knew, confident and sure in his beliefs. While it did bother him that the man next to him did some horrific things and doesn't regret them, he couldn't help but envy his mindset and wished he could reconcile his actions in such a way. Unfortunately Edward couldn't do that and honestly didn't think he should, the Captain's words alluded to the saying 'the end justifies the means' to which the young man didn't believe. There were things more valuable than victory and he would like to think that he can maintain his current moral standing over sacrificing it to achieve his goals.

"I'm glad that you can think like that but I can't. I'm not ok with using any means to complete my task, I would rather fight and lose if it meant debasing myself to the demon in my past. I regret many things in my life and would do anything to take them back. But I can't and I'm trying to find a way to live with it while making sure it never happens again. I don't think any less of you but to me your way is wrong and it's something I can never imitate no matter how much I envy the peace you found for yourself."

The old man shrugged and finished off his cigar before getting to his feet. "That's fine, it's how _I _coped with my guilt. If you can't accept my answer then make your own but you won't find it by looking into the past. You need to move forward, right now, you're standing still and stagnant, you won't accomplish anything by standing still. If anything it shows how weak your will is and if you can't even keep your will from being broken then there's no hope at all for you or the people you care about."

It was then with that insightful message, the Captain left. Edward watched him leave with a thoughtful expression. It wasn't the first time someone questioned his will, Wrath always questioned it, even in the beginning. However the young man wondered how could he change that, what was he missing that made his will so weak? Physically he was strong, he had devoted half of his life to training, and he never shrunk away from any life or death situation. His will was more than strong enough, yet here he had a demon who was apart of him and an old soldier who had far more knowledge than he, called his will weak. He wanted to ask why, but there was only one place where he could get that answer.

Wrath.

It's been three weeks since he last spoken to Wrath, he didn't know what it was but the demon just didn't seem all that interested in tormenting him recently. There have been days where he attempted to start a conversation just to figure out what the demon was up to but all he got was silence. It unnerved him so he kept an eye on it but for the most part it was just him for the last three weeks.

Wrath had looked through his memories when they first joined and had seen through his eyes everything he went through since. So the demon knew Edward better than anyone alive, so if he wanted to know why his will was weak then Wrath would know. The only problem was, the demon wasn't in the mood to speak so if he wanted his answer then it looks like he needed to take a trip back to see the trolls.

The young man got up and found Cameron and explained to him that he'd have to take over the class today while he went off to run an errand. The young guard immediately began to panic at the thought of leading a training session but Edward calmed him down and expressed total confidence in the young guard. With a quick outline of what the next class would be over, the young man left to go find Kristoff.

The mountain man nowadays usually spent his time hanging out with Sven in stables or with Anna since he didn't have to harvest ice anymore. The young man stopped by the stables to see the ice harvester fast asleep on a mound of hay next to Sven who was sleeping next to him. Almost feeling bad about waking him, the young man lightly kicked his feet to rouse him. After a couple of hits, the mountain man groggily opened his eyes to see his friend standing over him. He looked out the stable windows to see the sun beginning to go down before turning back to the young man with an annoyed expression over having his nap distrubed.

"Don't you have a class to instruct soon?"

"I need to see Grand Pabbie again."

"For?"

"I need to speak to Wrath."

It was at that moment Kristoff shook off his sleepiness and looked back at the young man with a serious expression.

* * *

Elsa having hitting a good stopping point for the day and was now sitting in her study reading one of the many novels she had stacked in the room. What most people didn't know was that Elsa loved reading romance novels, thirteen years isolated in her room had given her plenty of time to escape into the world of books and with her future of becoming a Queen she doubted she'd ever marry for love. So she'd read a romance novel and would pretend for a very short moment that she was the woman in the book falling in love with the man of her dreams. She thanked God many times that books existed or she was sure she would've lost her sanity in her room.

The current one she was reading was about a soldier and his childhood sweetheart. The two of them were best friends as children with the soldier dreaming of one day to be a hero. When he was old enough he joined the kingdom's army and left his hometown. He wrote to the friend he left behind often until one day they stopped. Fearing the worst, his best friend set out to find him. She journeyed through many lands as well as faced many obstacles until finally finding the company the soldier was attached to. When she asked if they knew where he was, the commander said he had been captured by the enemy and that the company planned on cutting their losses and returning home. Upset they were going to abandon her friend, the woman decided she'd go in and save him herself, no matter how difficult the task may be.

That was as far as Elsa had gotten and she longed to see how it would end. The childhood friend was so brave to risk everything for someone she cared about despite the odds stacked against her. The blonde knew the book would likely have a happy ending as most romance novels did and she liked that fact. However she didn't like how that wasn't the case in real life. People thought Anna was the hopeless romantic, but Elsa had her sister beat if someone could look into her private thoughts. It always warmed her heart to see two people joined in love, even through her window she could see some people holding hands, kissing, laughing, and dancing with one another like they were the happiest people in the world.

When she escaped into a book, her thoughts were happy and she enjoyed herself. However when she finished and closed the book, the reality sunk in that she hadn't found her happy ending and she would likely never will. That was the reality of being a Queen, always putting her kingdom first before anything else. Even when Edward came along, she kept telling herself that she was Queen first. Despite the feelings that grew and hopes and desires awakening in her, she knew in the back of her mind that it wouldn't likely come to pass. When he said he couldn't, that they couldn't, it hurt but she was happy that she didn't have to tell him they couldn't.

His denial had put her back on track with her original mindset that she must put the kingdom first. It also drove home that she was human and she decided to add in more breaks and rest after hearing the little tidbit about Elementals losing control of their magic when they lacked rest. She had already had everything set up and planned for the next couple of weeks plus her sister was getting married. That in itself made Elsa happy, her baby sister was about to get her happy ending, life was looking up and the blonde was content.

She was broken out of her thoughts when the room to her study barged open and the redhead had strode into the room. The blonde didn't have to look up from her book to know who had stormed into her study, Anna really took the 'open doors' policy quite seriously.

"Hi Elsa!"

"There something I can do for you Anna?"

The phrase made the Princess's next words stop on the tip of her tongue as she eyed her sister for a moment. Noticing the odd lack of rushed words that usually came out of the redhead's mouth, Elsa looked up to see a weird look on her face.

"What's the face for?"

"You two even talk the same…"

It took very little imagination to know who Anna was talking about and Elsa just went back to her book. She was done speaking to her sister about Edward, she said what she needed to say on the matter and there was nothing else to discuss. Fortunately for her, it seemed that the redhead hadn't come to talk about that particular subject.

"I just wanted to ask if you wanted to go out on the town and grab some chocolate."

The sound of her favorite treat made the blonde look up from her book, she had _longed _for chocolate for an entire week. Everytime she had a craving for it, her hand would drift toward her secret stash and when she pulled it out to see the same box Edward had gotten for her, the craving vanished and she'd replace the box. She didn't ask any of the castle staff to get her any when she knew that she had a perfectly good stash of it in her drawer. It was quite a conundrum for her, she wanted chocolate so badly yet couldn't bring herself to eat any since she had the pink box in her drawer.

"Sure, I'll come with you to grab some." The blonde had put the book away and rose out of her chair to follow her younger sister out of the room and toward the stables where Kristoff likely was located. When they arrived, the stables were empty. Kristoff, Sven, and his sleigh were gone. The horses he had acquired from his bandit ambush were still in the stables meaning that Sven was likely the only one pulling the sleigh.

"Where'd they go?"

It was at that moment the actual stable boy entered to clean up after the mountain man. Not that there was much to clean since Kristoff took cleanliness in the stable that housed Sven very seriously.

"Master Kristoff, left a while ago with that new instructor. I didn't hear where they were going but they didn't take any supplies so I doubt they'll be gone for long."

Anna thanked the young boy before leaving the stable with Elsa in tow. She wanted to ask the blonde where she'd think they'd gone but stayed her tongue since she knew Elsa was done speaking about the young man that was her first kiss. Knowing there was nothing more to say, Anna decided to just go ahead and leave without them, telling herself they'd be fine.

The two sisters went through town greeting the happy people as they passed until they arrived at their favorite bakery. The redhead didn't notice but upon seeing where they were, Elsa stopped dead in her tracks. Her smile had dropped and she schooled it into a regal one as she crossed the door. Anna was already dancing around the bakery marvelling at the many different kinds of chocolate she's no doubt already tried. The Queen stood near the door with her hands folded at her waist, her expression wasn't negative but it also wasn't happy.

It was then the bakery's owner, the beautiful black haired woman that had a fascination with Edward noticed her two favorite customers. "Queen Elsa! Anna! It's so nice to see you two!"

"Are you sure its us you like seeing or our coins when we almost clean out your bakery Thalia?" Anna came here almost every week, becoming personal friends with the owner and would often clean out a section of chocolate every once in a while. There have been times Thalia tried to just _give _her the sweets but the redhead always insisted on paying for them.

"Would it bother you if I said I liked them both equally?"

"At least you're honest."

The two continued to joke around while Elsa stood at the door. She knew that Thalia didn't see her face the last time she was here so there was no reason for the blonde to act any other way then she usually did. The problem was, she just couldn't bring herself to put on a smile walk over and engage in some small talk. All she could think about was the way the black haired woman leaned over and traced Edward's arm and leaned against him.

Elsa was self aware enough to know that the slightly sick feeling she had in her stomach was the feeling of jealousy. She didn't know why, between the two of them _she _had actually kissed the young man but the feeling persist. It kept her from acting normal and honestly just irritated her, so she waited by the door hoping she'd somehow go unnoticed so she wouldn't have to force a normal conversation. The blonde silently cursed the young man over and over in her head for making her feel this way.

"Elsa, you ok?"

The platinum beauty looked up to see Anna and Thalia both looking at her with expectant expressions. Not trusting her voice, she put on a fake smile and nodded. Thalia didn't look entirely convinced but shrugged after a moment while Anna could see right through it and mouthed to her sister.

_We're talking about this._

The redhead then turned around to continue her conversation with Thalia. After a few more moments, Anna had decided to only buy two boxes of chocolate, one filled with truffles and the other of milk chocolate. Waving to Thalia, the two sisters left the bakery and continued walking around Arendelle until they ended up near a dock that Anna had first bumped into Hans. Despite the feelings she had about the man, the spot here was nice and peaceful. Whenever she felt the very rare moment to stop bouncing around and enjoy some peace she'd come here.

The two sisters sat down and watched the calm water not saying anything yet. Anna decided to open her truffles and take her time eating them while Elsa didn't seem interested in the pink box next to her. After a while the redhead finally decided to break the silence.

"Alright Elsa don't even try to deny what happened back there, you used to love coming to Thalia's shop but today you wouldn't move. You're not even eating the milk chocolate I got for you, what's bothering you?" The blonde didn't respond, all she did was tuck her hands under her armpits, a usual indicator that something was bothering her. Anna stared at her sister with a patient expression, she wanted her to talk without being pushed but realize they _were _talking about this.

"It's dumb…"

"If its coming from you then its anything but dumb."

Elsa sighed before she untucked her hands and brought them up before wiggling them and creating two mini versions of Edward. Both of them were extremely detailed and identical to one another. The two of them stood with their arms crossed reminiscent to the young man's pensive pose.

"When I told you what happened a week ago, there was something I left out. Me and Edward went to Thalia bakery first and to buy me some chocolate but I ran out making him chase after me then we argued, kissed, and he then said that we couldn't be together."

"Why did you run away from him?"

"Thalia began to flirt with him, I could hear what they were saying and I thought he was falling for her and didn't care that I was in the bakery…" Anna saw red for a second as she imagined Edward shacking up with Thalia right in front of Elsa and wanted to tear his head off but calmed down when her sister continued speaking.

"...it turns out he just wanted to keep Thalia from noticing I was there. When he convinced me to take the day off, I wanted to spend it with him but seeing him with another woman…"

Elsa racked her brain for the right word as Anna patiently listened. When the blonde couldn't supply the word, the redhead took a stab at what she could mean.

"Made you feel like you were invisible to him?"

"Yes. It was almost like I was looking out the window of my room again as someone else got their happy ending instead of me. When he finally caught up to me and explained himself, I honestly didn't care. What I cared about was that he just didn't seem to feel anything and then we started yelling and he then admitted he felt something for me. I cannot begin to describe how it felt to hear him say the way he felt about me, it was honest and sincere…"

As Elsa talked about how emotional Edward could be, the mini version of him in her left hand began to move. It had a bright smile on his face as he waved to Anna then looked up to the blonde with a smirk and bowed at the waist before jumping back up with the same bright smile that was directed at her. The redhead didn't know if Elsa was doing this on purpose but she could see how happy the little man looked in her sister's hand.

"Then after we kissed, he changed back into his distant self. The one that was tortured about what he did in the past and what was inside of him. All he cared about was my safety, and that it would kill him if he ever hurt me so he pushed me away. The fear and guilt he had plagued him and pushed down all of his emotions so that he could be cold and calculated…"

It was then the mini Edward in her left hand moved, it had a solemn and focused look. It kept its arms crossed and looked out toward the ocean, maintaining a distant look in its eyes as it refused to look anywhere else but the endless span of water in front of it.

"I've met both Edwards and there are times that one overpowers the other but soon the other gains control. I don't know what to do, my head tells me that I should just move on and focus on being a Queen but my heart says otherwise. It's telling me that I can break through the solemn Edward and get to the one who admits he feels human and happy around me. That maybe we could have a future together but my head reminds me that it would be impossible, for one he's not royalty and I'm a Queen. The council would never allow it. Two, Wrath is a very real threat. Even though I know he can get control, this Father person might just _make _them kill people like they did back then. My job as Queen is to protect the people of Arendelle, what kind of Queen does it make me to jeopardize their safety because of my feelings by letting someone stay in Arendelle that…"

Again, Elsa couldn't find the right word. Anna could see where she was coming from and understand her plight but the redhead knew her sister. She was trying to think with logic instead of using her heart, Anna did it all the time and people may call her reckless from time to time but it was her best quality to always follow her heart and hope for the best.

"...is a monster?"

The blonde's eyes widened and she whirled on her sister with an upset expression. She couldn't believe her sister would say that, usually Anna was supposed to be the positive one. They both knew how much Edward suffered with what he did. Someone with so much guilt shouldn't be considered a monster, it wasn't even his fault, he was _forced _into this! The Edward they knew was kind, caring, supporting, thoughtful, selfless, and many other qualities that a monster was not. She wouldn't allow anyone to call someone close to her like that a monster. The blonde couldn't help raising her voice to her sister and the slip she had on her powers as she spoke.

"He's _not _a monster!"

The shout made a spark of ice flow from her hands and jerked both of the mini Edwards as they both looked up at Elsa with a surprised expression. Anna on the other hand didn't seem surprised in the least, she knew her sister would disagree vehemently with anyone thinking he was a monster. The reason the redhead said monster was to get Elsa to start thinking with her feelings and not her head. In the Princess's opinion, Edward was in his own ice palace and the only way he was coming down was if Elsa rushed after him and brought him back down. It wouldn't be easy, Anna would do everything she could to help but it was ultimately up to her to get him to come down.

"There you go, that feeling you feel right now, hold on to that. You're right he isn't a monster but he himself thinks he is, the same way you used to when you first revealed your powers. When people called you a monster, I felt the same way you feel right now. They didn't know what you've been through or who you are, I was willing to bet everything that you weren't a monster. Edward feels alone right now and is afraid that he'll wake up one day losing control, you've been in his shoes before. You more than anyone else knows what it's like living with that fear, if anyone can snap him out of it, its you. It won't be easy, I'll do all I can to help but only you can do it, you've gotten him to change his mind before, it's time you do it again."

"But what if I can't?"

Anna smiled and put a hand around her sister's shoulder and nodded her head at the mini statues in the blonde's hands. The two of them both had attentive looks on their faces as they looked to the blonde.

"You really going to tell Edward that you can't help him?"

Elsa was quiet for a moment as she gazed at the two mini statues in her hands that both looked expectantly at her answer. Her brain kept telling her that she couldn't guarantee anything, she didn't know enough and it could've easily backfired. She was also Queen and couldn't devote her time to someone who wasn't a royalty, a suitor, or any part of the hierarchy in Arendelle. But her heart screamed something different, it said that if there's even a small chance she'd take it. That this time _she _was going to save him.

The blonde smiled at the two statues before answering.

"No, I'm not."

* * *

Edward and Kristoff made it to the Valley of the Living Rock and already dealt with the usual uproar of the mountain man being home before speaking with Grand Pabbie. Edward explained what he intended to do and needed the troll to bring Wrath to the physical plane again. The old troll didn't see Elsa or any weapons on the young man and asked that he reconsider.

Edward shook his head as the troll sighed and lead the two back into the cave where the young man sat on his mound and waited for Wrath to appear. Before long, the demon appeared kneeling across from him. Wrath lifted its head up and stared silently at the young man, not one flicker of rage coming from it whatsoever. Edward waited for the demon to say something, _anything, _but it seemed more than comfortable with sitting there silently. Deciding he would have to be the first one to break the silence, the young man kept a grip on his emotions. Now wasn't the time to get angry and confront the demon all he wanted was to talk.

"You're actually quiet for once."

The only response he got was Wrath blinking once.

"All this time speaking to me, trying to take over, you now decide to take a break?"

Still no response.

"For once, I'm not here to fight. There's something I wanted to ask you."

Wrath tilted its head to the side as if it was curious what he could possibly want to ask but remained silent.

"You've seen my memories and lived in my body feeding off my emotions. One could say you know me better than me anyone else, so if I wanted this question answered you'd have the answer. I want to know why you feel my will is weak."

The demon straightened its head and back. It actually looked like it was interested in the question. Edward waited for an answer, if Wrath really didn't want to talk the young man could easily just leave. While he may be curious on what made his will weak, he could always think on it and figure it out another day. Time continued to flow as the demon held the young man's gaze but remained silent. After enough time passed, Edward decided to cut his losses and got to his feet ready to leave the cave.

"_The reason your will is so weak is because you're afraid of yourself. How can you uphold your morals and ideas when you constantly question yourself, the foundation of everything you stand for is suspect in your mind because you fear yourself destroying them."_

The young man didn't expect an answer like that. There was no undercurrent of malicious intent or mocking in the demon's tone. In fact it sounded how he did when he told Elsa she needed rest, there was no room to challenge the claim. However Edward knew he wasn't afraid of himself, he was afraid of Wrath taking over. The demon was the reason, he couldn't trust himself to be around people. Suddenly angry, Edward whirled around to face the still kneeling demon with a snarl.

"I don't believe you, you're the one who wants to destroy everything I believe in. I'm not afraid of myself, I'm afraid of you using my body to kill people!"

Wrath didn't move from its mound, perfectly fine with letting the young man vent on it in anger. That's the way it's always been, Edward would always have intense hatred for Wrath. Usually such a source of anger would rejuvenate or arouse the demon but coming from the young man was almost sickening. The demon remembered feeling Edward's intense wrath in the past and felt it was one of the most intoxicating sources its ever felt but now it was old to taste.

"_You mean the way I took over and killed those bandits in the cave?" _

Edward was taken aback when Wrath mentioned that, it was the most recent time he lost himself to the demon. Wrath had brutally slaughtered those men in the cave in front of Elsa, he just wanted them dead but that wasn't enough for the demon. The fear that was in Elsa's eyes was still burned into his brain.

"Yes, I lost control and you tore them apart."

Wrath chose that time to get to its feet and began walking over to the young man. Edward looked weary and took a slight step back when Wrath got within three feet of him before leaning down until they were eye level.

"_I didn't do anything, that night, __**you **__took __**me **__over."_

* * *

**Hey guys new chapter. WOO. Hope ya'll like the little mini plot twist. Also I just wanted to say that the mini frozen statues were inspired by another Frozen Fanfic I read. Its called "For the First Time in Never" by Nerd-is-frozen. Check it out amazing fanfic, I would review but its already completed. Anyway I'm gonna take a quick break play some Dark Souls 3 on my pc then work on getting the first 5k words tonight and the next 5k tomorrow for a new chapter on Sunday/Monday. Remember to drop a review or a pm, catch y'all later :D **


	22. Chapter 22

Confusion spread across Edward's face as he stared into Wrath's eyes that were unexpectedly completely serene. He took over the demon? That didn't make sense, he wouldn't have tore them apart the way he did, it would take too much time to do it. He also wouldn't have felt so guilty for doing it if he was the one that intended to do it. Wrath must be lying.

"That's a good try but we both know you only bow to Father."

The demon leaned back to its full height before walking back to its mound and kneeling again. It then raised a hand gesturing to the mound across to ask that Edward sit back down so they could continue the discussion. When the young man didn't move and only fixed the tall predator with a suspicious glare, it shrugged its shoulders accepting that the young man wouldn't relax around it.

"_Normally that'd be true, but if you think about it, if I only bowed to Father and only wanted to take your body, how are you able to use some of my abilities then. I'm not talking about life or death situations where it would benefit me to let you use them, but trivial matters such as getting a little upset in a bar or looking for your beloved."_

Edward whirled on Wrath and took threatening strides before stopping in front of the tall predator with his finger pointed in its face.

"You don't get to talk about her."

The demon didn't flinch in the slightest at the intense tone, all it did was lazily turn its head and when their eyes connected, the young man stepped back in shock. His blue eyes were in Wrath's eye sockets staring back at him, he could've sworn the predator had red eyes not even ten seconds ago. Perhaps the demon was screwing with him as it usually did, fighting off his shock, he shrugged before taking a step back calming himself. As he did, Wrath's eyes turned back into their usual red color.

"You always find ways to screw with me, that little eye trick was quite the illusion, really threw me off for a second."

"_That wasn't an illusion, why don't you ask the troll what color your eyes were when you turned around to threaten me."_

That was an odd question that Edward was likely going to ignore but Grand Pabbie clearing his throat got his attention.

"Edward, you need to understand that you two are one in the same. What you're talking to is another half of yourself, and being blinded by emotion is keeping you from realizing the truth."

The young man turned and raised his arms in an exasperated gesture.

"What truth?"

"The truth that when you just now grew angry and threatened that half of you, your eyes bled red as his turned blue."

Edward's eyes widened a moment before he turned to Kristoff who nodded confirming the troll's words. He and Wrath swapped eyes? What does that mean? Does it mean that whenever he gets angry and his eyes turn red, he's willing ceding control to the demon? If that was the case, he couldn't get any more, he couldn't give Wrath more chances.

"_Even without being able to read your thoughts, I know what you're thinking. You think that when you use my abilities, I gain more control over you. This is true to a point, using my abilities opens a link between us, one where you draw power from me as I can draw power from you. During this link, the one with the dominant will controls the flow of power between the two of us. When you lost yourself to your anger in the bandit cave, I had no choice in the matter and surrendered all my power to you. That's why you were so much stronger than when you fought Envy the second time. The second time, you were fighting for survival, you used your brain versus using your anger to fuel your actions. During that time I could limit the amount of power you took from me, enough to adequately supply you but enough for me to take over should you put both our lives in danger. Regardless if you use me or not, we can now __**both **__open that link. Your will overpowered mine when you had purpose and resolve but now all you exhibit is fear, nothing but irrational fear."_

Wrath then rose to its feet again before disappearing in a cloud of black dust and reappearing right in front of the young man and firmly grasped his left forearm with its left claw. Grand Pabbie looked ready to end the conversation but stayed his hand because he felt that the demon needed to say something that the young man needed to hear.

"_Because of this I can dominate you more and more, in all honesty I could've taken you over right after you left this place last time when I soundly defeated you. The last three weeks, I've been quiet, testing how much control I had over you, the fact that you couldn't access any of my abilities for days was because I __**denied **__you access. As you lived here always constantly afraid of me taking over, your will weakened so much that I __**allowed **__you to feel what I felt just to remind you that I'm still here."_

Edward's eyes widened as he began to shake. He wondered why the demon was so quiet for so long, surely it couldn't do what it was saying. If it could why not take him over when it had the chance. The demon always expressed a desire to take over and return to its usual habits of destruction. Why wait and put up with Arendelle?

"_Your face keeps betraying your thoughts, why didn't I take over? What stopped me from taking over and killing every single person in Arendelle including Elsa because she's a threat to Father? The answer is nothing, absolutely nothing stopped me, I had the desire to kill her before coming here. When you paced in your room, I was so __**close **__to taking you over and with just her voice, I was completely shut out." _

At this time, Wrath's grip on Edward's arm began to get tighter and tighter as the waves of anger began to grow stronger.

"_It angered me to no end to know some little girl had that much power over me, I told myself the moment I take over she was going to be my first victim. But then as you spent time near and around her, I learned to tolerate her voice and presence. The desire to rip her into tiny pieces faded with time, what grew instead were odd feelings that I've never felt in my life. When she first met me, I asked if she was afraid of me. She never answered and instant rage overcame me and I vented on you." _

Then surprisingly, Wrath's grip loosened but still kept the young man in its claws but the waves of anger evaporated instantly.

"_However after, I asked myself, why was that so infuriating? The ones who knew of my existence feared me until their deaths, why did hers make every fibre of my being rage? I asked myself that question many times and I still don't have an answer, perhaps your emotions flowed into me and stayed my hand. If what the troll said is really true and we are the same being then it would make sense that my reluctance to kill her comes from you. The point is, there was nothing stopping me from taking you over, I just chose not, because I wanted to confirm if we really are the same being. If we are just different aspects of one another then I am the dominant one between us because you lack purpose. All you do is contradict yourself, finding reasons to stay while looking to go. If you don't make up your mind, I'll make it for you. Throughout my life, thought as never occured to me and now that it has, I'm curious to see how all of this plays out. There are five more Sins like us out there with Father all guiding them, I am bound to Father because his will has always been dominant to mine. Never once has anyone managed to dominant me besides him, until you did. Your life has been nothing but anger since I took your mother's life and spared you, you dedicated your life to my death and now have become me. You interest me, I want to see how strong your will is, the one who dogged me down relentlessly and even while dying never considered giving up. If you can't be that strong then I will take over, simple as that, when that happens, Father __**will **__know everything that I know. That future you fear will come to pass, unless you learn to dominate me. Make no mistake, I am a threat to you, however I'm willing to give you a fair chance."_

The young man listened and eyed the demon wondering if all it said was true. Logically speaking it made sense, the Wrath he encountered in the Dark Forest was pure instinct flailing around killing anything that moved. It was how he was able to fight it, while its moves were faster and far stronger than he, Edward managed to slip past its attacks and make use of the openings it left.

However after they joined and Wrath was able to see all of his memories, the demon changed. Its style of fighting became more refined and more agile. There was no wasted movement when it slaughtered anything in its way. He remembered watching through the eyes of Wrath when it killed off the Mystic Guard. They rushed all at once only to countered, dodged, and deflected as if it was child's play.

He could see that Wrath clearly developed higher thinking and as he recalled the feelings that flowed into him, he could that the demon was nothing more than a means to an end. He hated it for what it made him do but _deep down, _always wondered with its new thoughts did it regret anything like he did.

There was however, one thing that could undermine what the demon said. All of what it said boiled down to the assumption that Wrath could take over at _any _time. The fear that came with that possibility weighed on the young man's head but it just occurred to him that Wrath might've planned on that. That all of this was a bluff to make him more susceptible to being controlled. Throughout his years in the military he was always taught that to beat a strong opponent you must either outclass them in strength or in the mind.

Wrath far exceeded him in terms of strength, but with them joined in one body physical strength is meaningless. The fact that he managed to wrestle control from the demon once meant he could do it again so it made him a strong opponent. If Wrath was in reality weaker than he was and used taunts and bluffs to scare him so he'd be easier to defeat, then the demon's whole explanation fell apart. If that's the case then everything the demon said was a lie.

"_Now then, I'm curious to see how you react to this. Perhaps you'll become stronger for it, or maybe it'll be the final straw that crushes the ground beneath your feet…"_

The sound of swirling dust caught Edward's attention as he watched the claw that gripped his forearm began to envelope in black dust. The substance spread to both of their arms up to their shoulders and when it disappeared, the young man's heart stopped. The idea that Wrath was bluffing to scare him was shattered when he looked at his left arm.

Or rather, Wrath's left arm attached to his body while his left arm was attached to the demon's.

The young man couldn't believe what he was seeing, even when Wrath let him go, the clawed hand didn't move. It was shorter than the demon's right one but was proportional to his right arm. Edward moved the clawed fingers and was horrified to see they responded to him as if they were his arm. Wrath seemed to be doing the same with its new arm before heading back to its mound, kneeling down and without permission from the troll, vanished into thin air.

Grand Pabbie dropped the barrier and approached the young man who looked over with a helpless expression. He looked ready to ask if the troll could do anything but a simple shake of the old one's head dashed his hopes. Edward began to panic as he then tried to access Wrath's abilities to reverse the transformation but couldn't. Kristoff could see the building panic as the young man's body grew taut with fear and he kept trying over and over to force the demon to cooperate.

"Edward, I believe you should take what your other half said to heart. Being consumed by fear will not help you, in fact it will be your greatest enemy and you need to learn to overcome it."

Kristoff was about to agree, but was cut off by the young man whispering.

"Overcome it? You think that I should learn to overcome the fear that for three weeks, Wrath could've just popped out at _any _time? How many people did I put in danger all this time…"

The young man began to breathe faster as he kept thinking of everything he did in the last three weeks. Training with the guards, hanging out with Kristoff and Anna, kissing Elsa…

All of it began to blur before his eyes and he began to imagine Wrath appearing at any of those times. His chest tightened as no matter how much he breathed he couldn't get any air in his lungs. He started feeling light headed as he began to sway on his feet until a heavy hand clapped him on the shoulder. Turning his head, he saw Kristoff looking at him with a patient expression.

The young man tried to move away but the grip on his left shoulder tightened keeping him in place. He was about to ask the ice harvester to let go when he was cut off by the large man.

"Trust me."

Edward had a confused expression on his face at the two words. Trust the mountain man to do what?

"Remember when we were back in the forge where Hans ambushed us? You kept me from making a big mistake by grabbing my shoulder and telling me to trust you. Now I'm returning the favor, you need to calm down. Yes I get it, you're afraid that Wrath could've came out at any time, but he didn't. He didn't come out because he was curious on how you lived here, with us. Yes he can come out at any time but worrying about it is not gonna help, all you can do now is just keep doing what you've been doing."

"I can't, I need to leave now, as soon as we get back to Arendelle I need to go…"

Edward didn't get to finish as Kristoff suddenly frowned and grabbed his other shoulder and shook him hard. "What's that going to accomplish?! You go to some remote island and what just sit on a rock all day? Guess what, Wrath's still going to be there. Also you heard what he said, when he takes over, that's game over. You think you're dangerous, everyone in the world is! Anyone could just one day decide to lose their mind and kill people, but they have friends who will snap them out of it. You have friends here! Anna, Elsa, me, Olaf, the Captain, we're all here to help you! Look I get it man, you're scared you're really scared but running like a coward isn't going to help. How do you think we'd all feel if you just up and left without saying anything? Well let me tell you how Anna would feel, she'd be pissed and probably track you down so she could punch you and I'll probably join her. Hell think about Elsa, Anna told me what happened between you two. It ain't my business but you really hurt her, she's been through the exact same thing you've been through and you keep pushing her away when she could be helping you."

Edward looked away as he listened, Kristoff made some good points but he couldn't help but think about what could happen if Wrath let itself out. Grand Pabbie cleared his throat to get the young man's attention as well.

"He's right, hiding yourself away won't help anything. Especially if what your other half said was true. If there really are five more Sins out there then Arendelle will be in great danger. If you leave without finding a way to break from Father's control you will only come back as an enemy of Arendelle, bringing the very outcome you fear."

Edward sighed, the two of them had points but he was still unsure.

"You need time to think on this, return to Arendelle. We will be here if you ever again need council. Kristoff do remember to wash often, we don't want Anna calling off the marriage just because of the way you smell."

The mountain man whirled over to the troll in embarrassment, shifting his mind off the young man. "I don't smell that bad!"

"Well not to us but we are living rocks, Anna is a Princess. She might think that your smell needs to improve, and we're not the ones who's going to be sharing a bed with you."

The mountain man blushed and feebly tried to defend himself to the old troll. Edward watched the display and had a small smile on his face, the atmosphere was grim a few moments ago. The young man appreciated the change in topic.

After a few more jibes at the Kristoff, the two of them returned to Sven and were about to head back to Arendelle when the mountain man rummaged through the sack he always had in his sleigh. After finding what he was looking for, he turned around and threw the young man a thick winter coat and gloves. Edward looked at them before looking back up toward Kristoff who gave him a smile.

"I thought maybe you didn't want to tell anyone when we got back what happened so you can wear that to hide the arm. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone until you're ready, not even Anna."

The young man gave the ice harvester a small smile before shrugging on the coat and gloves before the two of them got into the sleigh and took off. The trip back to Arendelle was relaxing for Edward, Kristoff said nothing as he felt his friend needed the silence to think. The young man couldn't be more thankful, as he absentmindedly fiddled with his hands. When he touched his left hand with his right one, he could barely feel the rough texture of scales on his hand as well as the tips of his claws. Neither of these would likely be noticeable to another person unless held his hand for a longer period of time than usual.

Edward would have to buy a thick coat of his own when he returned to Arendelle as well as some gloves so he could return Kristoff's. Part of him wondered if he should tell Elsa and Anna what happened. He appreciated that Kristoff was willing to stay quiet but he honestly didn't know why he should hide it from the two women. They already knew about Wrath and the struggle the young man went through, at this point was hiding something from them necessary?

He supposed not and decided to tell them but a depressed part of his mind showed him a scenario of what could happen if he came clean. He'd tell them and Elsa would be horrified that he posed such a danger to her people so she decides to imprison him so he could be executed. To be quite honest, the scenario didn't bother him. Most monarchs would usually destroy any threats to their rule or kingdom, whether they be friends or lovers, the kingdom came first. He wouldn't blame Elsa for choosing to protect her kingdom, what bothered him was the possibility that if he told her, she'd write him off as a monster.

Even now, he still felt that he was a monster, but he was relieved and happy to know that the blonde woman didn't think so. She felt that he was a victim of his circumstance, which he was, but the fact remained his body committed the crimes and he never paid for them. He briefly wondered how other people would react to knowing what was inside him, they may have accepted Elsa and her ice magic but they didn't know him. During his three weeks of being an instructor, he had gotten some flak from council members as well as some of his pupils that a stranger shouldn't have a hand in their military. He ignored most of it then continued with his job but it didn't stop the young man from watching his step.

Edward began to wonder how long it would take to adequately train the guards. It took a considerable amount of time to train someone to be a competent warrior who could adapt on his feet. It took the young man years to get to where he is right now, Stonewell had decades of experience as well. It would be difficult if not downright impossible to imprint a good portion of the two men's knowledge into the guards in a couple of months.

The young man had agreed to stay in Arendelle until Stonewell felt his soldiers were up to snuff. He thought it'd be a couple of months but now realized it might be much longer than that. After what Wrath said, Edward wondered if that was such a bad thing. Now that he had time to think and calm down, he realized Kristoff was right. There was essentially no point in his running to isolation, Wrath could easily take over his body before he could commit to the idea. There was also the fact the demon expressed interest in Elsa and made no move against her due to its curiosity.

In the back of his mind, he remembered sharing a kiss with the blonde and feeling the demon become restless. With the idea that his emotions may have flowed into Wrath, maybe his attractions to her caused the demon to develop its own. The thought of the two of them holding one another irritated him but surprisingly it was less than what he felt when he thought about Hector.

The young man shook his head, there were so many thoughts running around in his head. Most of them were worries about the demon but based off what just happened there was logically no point in him worrying. Right now he was at Wrath's mercy. The predator gave sound advice but he was hesitant to listen, maybe the Captain could help him clear his mind. The old man could easily see his inner turmoil on top of the issues with his anger. It'd make sense to confer with him again, as Grand Pabbie suggested.

Edward almost didn't notice that they had returned to Arendelle with his mind being so occupied. He dropped down off the sleigh and helped the mountain man unhook the reindeer before jogging off to the training yard. His class should just about be finished so he'd have to spar with the Captain soon. Edward went to his section of the training yard where Klein was going through some basic sword form drills he had taught the guard a week prior.

Practice always makes perfect and enforcing the basics were essential. The young guard was uptight and looked pretty nervous but he was leading them well. If the Captain ever did retire, Edward would be sure to recommend Klein for the position. The young man stood off to the side until the lesson was completed, there was no need for him to steal the guard's spotlight. When all the novices began to pack up, Edward approached the Klein who stood at attention when he noticed the young man.

"SIr what can I do for you?

Edward chuckled before gesturing him to relax. "First of all, I'm not formally part of Arendelle's military so I don't have any rank over you. Secondly I just wanted to commend you, you kept everyone working and you remembered basics that will save your life. I think that with time, you might be able to take the Captain of the Guard position if you wished."

That caused a blush of embarrassment to bloom on the young guard's face as he shook his hands in denial. "I don't think I'll be that good even with a hundred years of training. I mean look at the Captain, the man's a war hero who survived many wars and was handpicked by the late King because of his impressive skill. I can barely swing a sword straight, how am I supposed to get to that level?"

Edward pulled the young guard to have a seat with him so they could talk in a more relaxed setting. Right now he should be worrying about himself and Wrath but seeing such an earnest guy doubt himself made him pull his head out of his worrying ass.

"You get there with time and practice, not all legends happen overnight. I'm sure even Stonewell had a tough time in the beginning, the one thing you need to remember when starting a journey is that it begins with a single step. You already took the first step when you joined the Arendelle guard, you're taking another step when you listen to me and train. If you keep taking small steps, you'll get there one day, and when you do, don't forget all the people who helped you get there."

Klein couldn't help but smile at the speech, it was good to hear it. He of course had heard the rumors of the guards' new instructor, the stranger that managed to save the Queen. Some were in awe of such a feat while others distrusted the young man since they knew absolutely nothing about him and he had gained a position overseeing most of them. Klein had no opinion on the matter to be honest, all he cared about was his sister and defending the Queen.

His sister was the only family he had left since his mother and father passed away in a hunting accident leaving a sixteen year old boy to take care of his sickly twelve year old sister. Looking for work opportunities he joined the guard where the pay was decent and he was always given meals. Even after dedicating all of his income to his sister, it still wasn't enough to get her the treatment she needed. Until Queen Elsa took power and saw to the improvement of her kingdom, including medical aid.

It was thanks to her his sister could get out of bed and enjoy the summer season.

Even though she's still mostly in bed, her condition had improved and Klein had pledged his loyalty to the Queen. He did the best he could but it was quite obvious he was the runt of the litter when it came to ability. The Captain couldn't train every single guard alone while maintaining Arendelle's security, so his improvement was somewhat stunted. However thanks to Edward coming to help teach them, Klein saw improvement in the first three weeks.

With the new instructor looking out for the novices, Klein changed his opinion of the man. He was happy that someone like him came along who was willing to work with them as well as sit down and give encouragement. However, the young guard could see there were times when Edward would be faraway in his thoughts and look unhappy. It was rare seeing as he kept up the facade of being ok all the time but if you paid enough attention you could see his shoulders sagging under a heavy weight.

Klein never asked about the man's personal life, but he could tell something was wrong with him. The young guard wanted to say something, to help, however he wondered what could he do? The answer was there wasn't much he could do so he settled with appreciating that Edward was here and would support the instructor if he needed to.

"Thanks, I appreciate the kind words. So did you finish that errand you had to run?"

"Yeah, now I need to speak to Stonewell. Do you know where he is?"

"He's in his office, went straight there after meeting with the council after you left."

That caught the young man's attention. Why did the council need to speak with the Captain, maybe they wanted to reprimand him for what he said to that noble. While it made Edward chuckle when he thought about it, the whole reason the old man stepped in to talk was because of him. If the Captain hadn't stopped him from assaulting the arrogant guard, he wouldn't have insulted the noble.

"Do you know what for?"

"Well it's almost time for the Winter Solstice Gathering, so the council probably wanted to remind him of his boundaries. They did the same thing last year and he was pissed for about a week since they made him attend the Gathering."

"What's wrong with the Gathering?"

"Nothing, it's just the Captain hates going to social gatherings with nobles. He always say they just see him as a dressed up attack dog, which wouldn't bother him if they didn't keep reminding him how short his leash is."

Edward nodded and tried to imagine Stonewell mingling with the nobles and royals with them asking question after question about the battles he was in and reminding him that he was a commoner. The young man could easily the old man losing his patience and putting one of them in the infirmary but remembered what the Captain said earlier. He represented Arendelle and the Queen, who abhorred violence, so for the old man to engage in it with allies close by would be a blow to Elsa's image which Stonewell took very seriously.

"He must hate them."

"Oh you have no idea."

Thanking Klein, Edward got to his feet and made his way to the Captain's office. When he arrived at the door, he knocked three times and waited until he heard a sigh then a 'Come in.' Opening the door, he was greeted with the sight of Stonewell sitting at his desk going through some documents without a cigar in his mouth. When the old man looked up from his work, he leaned back with a resigned expression as he looked at the clock mounted on the wall. It was about time for their nightly sparring session, while the old man loved a good fight, right now he wasn't in the mood. However duty can before feelings and he exhaled as he began getting to his feet.

"Give me a second and meet me in the training yard so we can get our session over with."

Edward could easily see the Captain didn't want to spar right now and held out his hand to stop him from reaching his weapons. "I'm not here for that. Actually, I was wondering if we could talk instead of sparring there's something on my mind that I wanted to speak with you about."

The old man looked at his newest instructor with an unreadable expression before walking to the door and closing it before taking a seat in his chair. "This got something to do with our earlier conversation?" The Captain got a nod in response.

"Is it about the guilt you feel?"

"No its about you saying my will is weak. You said you've done horrible things that led you to this point right now and you would do them again. I'm the opposite, I spent my entire life chasing after one goal. And after obtaining that goal I found out it was all for not and feel hollow about its completion."

"So you were after revenge weren't you?"

Edward should've been surprised the old man knew exactly what he meant but to be honest he wasn't. The Captain had been around a long time and knew the aspects of being a warrior for that long. The young man nodded to Stonewell's question.

"Revenge is a fool's dream. It blinds you gets in the way of your duty. It also rarely ever ends with you feeling justified with its completion."

"What if they deserve it? What if you needed to stop them from doing to anyone else ever again?"

Edward had mixed feelings about the Captain's words. Wrath had killed his mother and was a mindless predator that killed many others, it deserved to die. The only downside was him becoming Wrath and giving it even more power to return to its homicidal tendencies. The young man felt that since he was the only one spared in the village after Wrath killed his mother, he was the only one who could end that monster. No one worked harder than him for the pursuit of that goal, the hell that was his childhood was made possible to endure because of his single minded goal to have his revenge.

"Then tell me, how many people have you killed to get you your revenge? Can you honestly say that all of them deserved being killed by you and have no reason to desire your death?

Edward looked down in shame, the answer was many. He killed many soldiers to get to Wrath, even though the Mystic Guard was created for mystical threats, they still made great infiltration teams that could hit an enemy right before the King's Spearhead's invasion. He couldn't say that all the men he killed to survive all deserved death, they were just defending their homes and families. What put him on the higher moral ground than them?

As the young man thought about that, he remembered something the Captain said.

"Didn't you say nothing else matters as long as you do your job? Why should it matter that I killed however many people in pursuit of my goals? I achieved my goal, I could've only done that by cutting my way through anyone who stood in my way."

The young man didn't mean it in a way that he was justifying killing all those men but the Captain called revenge a fool's dream but to him the end justifies the means. If that were true, then he couldn't say that revenge was right or wrong since the end resulted in someone getting their justice.

"I did but you fail to see my point. Your job isn't for _yourself,_ its for the person you're working under. Revenge is a fool's dream because it is _only _for you. I killed a lot of people _for _my home, doing that prolonged its existence before it was crushed. Your quest for revenge was only for _you, _the people you killed might have been fighting for something bigger than themselves. Home, friends, family, love, these are all things we fight for that are bigger than anything in the world. You got your revenge and found it unfulfilling, right. Well it was because you only did it for yourself and beyond that there's nothing more to do. Now look where you are, you have no idea what to fight for because you only spent your life chasing something for _yourself _and found out it wasn't worth it. _That _is why you're stagnant and have no resolve."

The old man's words seemed to light a spark of anger in Edward as he got to his feet and couldn't help but shout.

"Then what am I supposed to do?! I watched my mother get murdered right in front of me and because of that, my life was made a living hell because of that monster. It deserved to die at my hands but after killing it, I became the very thing I wanted to destroy. What should I do now?! You say I should fight for something bigger than myself, then what if I don't want to fight? What if I'm done fighting and killing and deserve being able to just live like a regular person?"

"If that were the case then why did you climb the mountain for the Queen instead of doing what you told Bjorgman and warned me about the imposters?"

The anger from the young man evaporated when he was questioned about that. He wasn't aware the Captain knew about his initial plan of warning him but choosing to run after Elsa instead. The decision was a split second one, he didn't know why he made. If he had just warned the Captain, no one would know about Wrath, and he would've never had to face Ahimoth. However he couldn't think about himself, all he could think about was Elsa being in trouble and that made his body race to get to her.

Not hearing a response from the young man, Stonewell continued. "I've read the reports and talked to Her Majesty as well as Bjorgman. You went to great lengths to rescue her Majesty and from Bjorgman's description, you were quite the warrior being able to hold your own against that man, Zavis. When we first fought, I was impressed with you but, you didn't live up to the picture I had of you from what the mountain harvester said. Sure he isn't a soldier and can't be expected to know how skilled a warrior is but you were able to overpower a man who could capture the Queen and take out a good amount of my guards. When we fought you were lacking, making mistakes someone who has dedicated their life to training wouldn't. If you wanted to be a regular person done with fighting, you would've came to me, but instead you chose to fight."

_T-that's...wrong. I didn't mean to, I just wanted to run. How could I be pulled into this?_

The young man's expression seemed to be one of turmoil at the old man's words. The Captain could understand that after a lifetime of fighting, peace would sound like a dream. But sometimes soldiers who fought for so long couldn't function in a world of peace. Arendelle was a peaceful place, people here were bright and happy and weren't burdened with the fear of war. Queen Elsa has done a commendable effort in keeping her kingdom safe, however it was weak. Having their monarch kidnapped in the capital of the kingdom is inexcusable.

Walter Stonewell was a man of war, always has and always will be. Being in this kingdom had not dulled his killer instinct because he made an effort to keep it honed whenever it was needed. His guards weren't killers, they were guardians as they should be but they needed to be more to protect their kingdom. The young man in front of him was a peculiar one, he had both presence about him. One that longed for peace and just wanted to protect, while the other was a creature of war, ready to kill in a moment.

The old man gathered this the moment they met in the stables. He noticed the way Bjorgman's reindeer stared at the young man in weariness as well as felt the callouses in his hands. It was during their handshake he knew the young man had known the human body very well, the old man knew that his hand was so very close to being broken in the young man's grip who didn't even seem to be putting too much effort into it.

There was also the matter of the bandit bodies that were completely mutilated.

The Captain had decided to go up the mountain himself later that day to see the bodies and he could tell that there hasn't been one wolf around. He knew that Edward lied about the bodies and was likely the one who tore them apart, such a level of violence was likely one of anger. The young man was a clear threat to any he deemed an enemy, however as long as he's been in Arendelle, he was docile. He kept an eye on him to see if he was truly harmless and just wanted to live peacefully. For the most part he acted like he was a peaceful man but deep down there was still that creature ready to kill.

It was part of the reason he made the young man become an instructor and trained with him twice a day. Everytime their swords crossed the old man got a clearer picture of the troubled man in his office. Even now, Edward was hiding something from him, but he didn't care. As long as he didn't pose a threat and continued being helpful to the guards then the old man didn't care.

"Clearly you're on the fence about this but like it or not, your life has bred you into a soldier that will always be ready to fight. Whether that be fighting to destroy something you hate or protecting something you love, that's up to you. I can't tell you what to do, you have to figure that out. I _can _offer you advice though." The young man looked up with a confused yet hopeful expression.

"Find out what you want, right now what does your heart desire?"

He wanted Wrath to be under his control forever so he wouldn't hurt anyone else.

That when it hit him, he wanted Wrath under control to cope with the guilt of letting the demon have control. He needed more, he needed a bigger reason than just himself. What else could having Wrath under control be for?

The answer was a memory, a small one yet powerful. It was the feeling of Elsa sleeping in his arms, her soft platinum blonde mane lying against his arm, her silk like skin on his own, the smell of winter peppermint that intoxicated him every time she was near.

He wanted to keep Elsa safe from Wrath.

If there was going to be a reason why he wanted to keep control and it wasn't going to be for himself then it would be for her.

"Looks like you found a reason."

Edward was broken out of thought when he noticed the old man began to pull out a cigar with a smirk on his face. How he could seemingly read his mind was sometimes disturbing but he'd give it to the Captain. The man gave sound advice.

"Yeah I think I got one."

"Then focus on it and don't ever give up on it. If your reason is really worth that much to you then you should have no regrets if you follow it to the end." The Captain then pulled out a match and leaned back with the first smile the young man had seen tonight.

"You know you may be a pain in the ass old man, but thanks. It's good to have you around." Stonewell shrugged at the comment and took a long puff from his cigar. Judging by the young man's expression, it looked like he had found what he was looking for. It was nice to have a chat like this where he could offer advice to someone who was troubled, that damn council just saw him as senile war maniac.

There _were _times where he's been downright insane but he kept his head straight the day he set foot in Arendelle. He did his job, kept them safe, and looked out for anyone in his kingdom. What more could those old fucks want from him? The answer was simple, they wanted to parade him around to other kingdoms, to intimidate them, show them that their attack dog was tame until given the order. Warriors didn't need to show off to other warriors, they proved themselves on the battlefield.

The Captain was _tired _of being asked over and over what war was like and how many battles he's won. His scars carried the history of his life and he didn't need to relive them after getting over his nightmares. He was just given his invitation to the Gathering earlier today. The event was coming soon and he honestly wished he could push off the date or just not attend the whole thing entirely. However he had to help the Queen convey an image of strength.

He knew how strong the young woman was, always working hard to improve her kingdom and keeping it peaceful despite the obstacles in her way. Her power over ice and snow was a double edged sword, they reassured her allies that they had someone like her on their side but at the same time she was seen as a threat. Even with Arendelle's military being so small compared to others, if she wanted to, the young woman could raise an army of ice creatures and plunge her enemies in eternal winters if she wished it. The Captain knew she'd never abuse her abilities in such a way but it was expected of her, it was part of the image of strength that the other kingdoms made for her.

If he could take a little attention off her and direct it toward him then he could suck up a few questions and looks without losing his mind during the Gathering.

"So I heard about your council meeting." The old man raised an eyebrow asking a silent question to the young man.

"Must be difficult, in the little time I've gotten to know you, you always spoke your mind whenever you wanted to. Except at the Gathering around allies of Arendelle. I remember you telling me earlier that we must think on how we act affect the people around us, and that helped me understand why you stay silent. You don't want to hurt Elsa's image in anyway."

The Captain leaned forward off the back of his chair then propped his head on his left arm as he moved his cigar side to side. When did the young man become so intuitive?

"I just wanted to say that it's a tough break, and I wish I could help." The old man was about to wave off the young man until a thought occurred to him that made him pull the cigar out of his mouth and fix the new instructor with an intense look. Edward noticed the stare and wondered what could be on the old man's mind.

"Maybe you can…"

The thought that occurred to him was shaky. It would help the old man at the same time it would also benefit the young one too. He wasn't ignorant in the least of what transpired in the last week. He could see the frustration in the young man's body as he performed his duties this week and he could also see the change in Her Majesty's routine. Something happened between them that made the air between them palpable with tension.

His first instinct was to demand Edward to spill what happened between him and the young woman but refrained for now. It was earlier today when the Princess confronted the young man and he finally understood what had happened. Usually as Captain of the guard, he was supposed to advise the young man to give up his feelings for the young Queen but it already seemed he was giving up already. His protective instincts for her were genuine and made the old man smile knowing that the Queen had someone else watching her back.

The Captain said that Edward needed a reason and now that he found it, the old man had an educated guess on what it could be. So why not give the young man a little push? The thought that had occurred to him might piss off the council but screw them, the only thing that the Captain worried about was the young man keeping his cool.

"What do you mean?"

"Edward, what would you say if I asked you to take my place at the Winter Solstice Gathering?"

The young man's face scrunched up in confusion. Why would the old man ask him to go? He was still a stranger in the eyes of the council and he wasn't any formal part of Arendelle. The Winter Solstice Gathering was a ball and a summit for all of Arendelle's allies, shouldn't only important people attend?

"I'd ask if you've gone senile, from what I've heard its one of the most important events in Arendelle. No one knows me here so why would I go in your place, you're the _Captain of the Guard, _I'm just a nobody trainer."

"A nobody trainer who saved the Queen on his own, plus only a high ranking member of the guard is required to attend. Even though you aren't officially part of the military, you still outrank the other guards due to them being your pupils. You can easily substitute for me and since no one knows who you are, no one should approach you with invasive questions."

Once again the old man made good points but the young man was still unsure. His social skills were decent but with Wrath inside he was a loaded cannon ready to fire if someone pissed him off enough. If the Captain had trouble keeping his mouth shut and he stopped the new instructor from lashing out in anger then how was Edward supposed to survive a night without the old man? Besides balls weren't really his thing, mostly because he never learned to dance, being a vengeful soldier left little time for trivial things.

"You may be right but you of all people know about my explosive temper, you really expect me to keep it under control around those nobles?"

"Yes, you're more aware of it now so you'll make an extra effort not to get riled up."

"I don't even have anything to wear and don't even know how to dance."

"Now you're just making excuses not to go. Look I still have to arrange security for the event and familiarize myself with all the visiting dignitaries security. Its downright impossible to do all that while attending the Gathering, last year I lucked out because we didn't have many allies but now we're expecting almost triple the amount of people coming. It would really help me out if you took my spot and mingled with those snobbish asshats while I do my job."

The Captain's face didn't have a pleading expression, probably should've given the request but the old man would likely rather die over begging for anything. Edward crossed his arms and bounced the idea in his head. The Captain was being screwed over right now and him going would help lighten the load but the young man was still unsure about being around other people. Especially with his new left arm. He was a safety risk and should say no but he then thought about the last three weeks getting to know the old man. They butted heads but it was nice to have an older figure to train with him again, plus he owed the Captain for earlier today. The young man sighed before throwing his hands up in the air.

"I just got to attend one ball, don't gotta dance or anything, just be there right?"

"Do you really see me dancing at one of these things?"

"Yeah I would pay to see your dust filled ass gliding across the dance floor."

"Don't forget this 'dust filled ass' kicked yours without trying too hard."

"Yeah well I've been practicing."

"You better put that practicing on hold then since you need to learn how to dance and get ready for the ball. I'd ask Gerda if I were you, she's been known to turn bumbling idiots into decent men."

"Am I detecting something more in your voice than respect? You better watch out for Kai, he might spike your meals with something."

The old man only pointed to the door.

"Out."

Edward chuckled as he got out of his chair and made his way to the door. He opened and just as he was about to step through he looked back at Stonewell with a sincere expression. "Thanks, I really needed that talk." The Captain waved him off before going back to his documents, already pulling out another cigar to replace the one he just finished. How the old man managed to finish them so fast without hacking up his guts, Edward would never know.

The young man left and before leaving the training yard. The moon was visible in the sky so it was likely time to head home. On the way back he thought about everything that happened today. Wrath admitting it was giving him a chance was surprising, it was no secret they hated one another but the demon might've found some empathy for the young man. That just left him to find a purpose, he thought just controlling Wrath so it wouldn't hurt people was enough but obviously his left arm contested that. The demon was now the dominant one between them, however what he said about that night in the bandit cave struck a chord in him.

Edward managed to completely dominate Wrath to the point that Zavis couldn't react to being impaled and those two guards having no chance to oppose him. He thought about it over and over again wondering what was the factor that allowed him to control the demon. The answer was obvious yet he didn't want to believe it until today.

It was Elsa.

Fearing for her safety pushed out all doubt in his mind. When he saw her tears, there was no hesitation whatsoever, his mind was clearer, he moved faster, and was so much stronger. When they escaped into the cave and he asked her if they actually raped her, he was furious. He had doubts that he could go back up the mountain and kill every bandit in there but in the back of his head, if she said that they did, he knew he'd marched back up there and made sure none of them survived.

He was still worried that Father could use him to hurt Elsa. According to Wrath, Father could control them both by imposing his will over the two of them, however if Edward's will was stronger than Father's then he'd be immune to being controlled. It was a shaky idea, there was no way to test how strong his will would have to be, wrestling control from Wrath the first time was incredibly difficult. The demon was completely submissive to Father, that meant that Father's will was so much stronger than Wrath's. If he had trouble with just the demon now, Edward shook at the idea of coming up against someone that Wrath never questioned.

There wasn't even a timetable, only that Wrath would give him a fair chance. It was still a grace of God that Father never attacked Arendelle anytime throughout the year that Elsa's ice magic was revealed. If there were really five more Sins out there besides him and Zavis then surely Father would ensure Elsa's demise as soon as possible. What reason could he have to wait? All these questions plagued Edward's mind but he realized that he didn't know and had no way to find out. All he could do now was focus on Wrath.

He entered his room and closed the door before removing his clothing and revealing his left arm. He rotated his wrist, moved his arm around, and made basic movements with it. It felt exactly like his right arm, just looked different and had claws for fingertips. The young man looked over to his desk and sat down before rifling through his drawers before finding a small dagger. Even though he was stronger now than when he was in the Mystic Guard, it was always nice to have a hidden weapon. It was a simple dagger double edged blade with a small guard and handle. He tossed it up and down before catching it in his left hand by the tip.

_Wrath said that this could be the final straw…_

Edward the grasped the blade with his hand and squeezed. He felt the blade cut into his palm but he also felt the metal give way under his grip. When he opened his hand, the blade was completely crushed into shards with the base of the shaft looking ready to shatter at the slightest amount of pressure. There was a small amount of blood in his palm but he could tell the wound had already closed.

_It also said that I could become stronger for it._

* * *

In a tavern in a snowy kingdom were two people sitting in their own private booth away from the party. It was a man and woman who both shared tan skin, brown hair, and peculiar red eyes. The man was of average height and had an average build, his hair was short but long enough to have bangs almost concealing his eyes. He was wearing a simple outfit of a blue coat, trousers, and winter boots. Across from him was a beautiful woman who had long hair that stopped at the top of her back and was curled at the base of her neck and framed her heart shaped face. Her clothing consisted of a winter coat that she left the front opened to show off her large cleavage as well as a slit at the bottom to allow her stocking clad legs to show off when she walked.

It was no surprise she attracted attention from the men in the room who couldn't resist her hypnotic gaze as well as the show she'd give. She had already gotten three men to pay for her drink as well as fetch whatever she desired. One man had even tried to slide up against her and offer her a good time, only for the man across from her to grab his wrist and snap it like a twig. He had an everlasting frown on his face every time the woman seduced a man in front of him.

He should've known better, she was only doing what she was made to do but it still irritated him to no end that he even lost his appetite.

"I don't understand why you always get so angry, you know I feel absolutely nothing for these men."

"Just because you don't feel something for them doesn't mean you don't embrace your _vices _with them when you have time."

The woman looked at him with a patient expression before smiling and leaning over and turning her hypnotic gaze toward him and giving him quite a view.

"Oh are you jealous? Well then why don't _you _help me embrace my vices? Surely your _hunger _extends past food."

The man fixed her with an angry yet hurt expression as he leaned back against his chair before turning away from her.

"I won't be your toy Lust, just because you enjoy having men bow to your whims doesn't mean all men are yours to play with.

"Men are weak, they always think with the head in their pants and never see the big picture. Even you think the same, the only difference is, all you want is Rin back yet you know as well as I do that I'm not her anymore, and Gluttony, you should do well to remember that."

Gluttony looked back and noticed the smile on her face was gone, yet he could tell that it bothered her to say the words. The two of them had been together for a very long time, before and after _that _happened. They were both ordered to stay in Blackdust when Greed and Envy left but were then told to leave before being discovered by King Alrick. Sloth was originally with them but she decided to stay in some village when she decided traveling any further took too much effort.

With just the two of them, they decided to follow Father's instructions and when they did, they were left to their own devices. That was weeks ago, now they just got new instructions to meet up with someone in this tavern, they just didn't know who.

"I remember _everything. _Don't you?"

The way he said everything made the woman sighed as she looked away unable to meet his eyes. That ended their conversation until they heard a chair scraping the floor and someone plopping down on it next to their booth. Lust shook off her expression before attempting to seduce the newcomer but was surprised when he stared at her with red eyes similar to her own.

"So which one are you."

The woman frowned as she crossed her arms and fixed the newcomer with an irritated expression. He was supposed to be here two hours ago, Father gave them a specific time to be here, who was he to ignore that.

"I'm Lust and the guy across from me trying to keep himself from killing you for being late is Gluttony. Who the fuck are you and why did it take so long to get here?"

The newcomer lazily turned his head and wasn't surprised to see another pair of angry red eyes shooting murderous looks at him. He chuckled a bit before putting his hands up in a calming gesture.

"My apologies, I had to tie up some loose ends as well as run some errands. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Greed and I look forward to working with you two."

* * *

**Hey guys sorry for the put off update some things came up, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, looks like six out of the seven Sins have been revealed all we need now is Sloth. Please PM or drop a review if you wish to contact me, I will ATTEMPT to get a new chapter up soon, have a nice one :D**


	23. Chapter 23

Word traveled quickly through Arendelle about the tournament that would decide the Queen's personal guard. It was quite the turnout that arrived to the courtyard where it was to be held. The guards had cleared an area for a ring to be built for the battles while the citizens gathered around. Elsa and Anna were on the balcony with their throne chairs moved outside for such an occasion. On the ground was Kristoff and the Captain discussing the contenders while Edward was using some guards to ferry some last minute equipment for the tournament.

"Alright come on, I know you guys are salty you can't enter to beat the snot out of each other like you usually do in front of everyone but we need to hurry up. If we don't get this armor ready then the contenders will be fighting each other with no protection which could result in injury." Edward then paused as he thought about a certain prick who was a noble's son.

"However if Bowman's armor happens to go missing then I'll say we did our best and no one can ask anymore of us." That caused the guards to chuckle as they had noticed the animosity between the instructor and noble. Some had even asked the young man why didn't he just challenge the guy in the safety of the training yard where call out fights happened all the time. He'd answer that since he was still new here, it'd be frowned upon if he started handing out beatings to the people he's supposed to be teaching.

...And that he could take Hector any time any day.

It didn't take long before all the armor sets were staged on the outside of the ring with a weapons rack lined up at each entrance. Going over some last minute checks, Edward confirmed everything was ready and moved to join Kristoff and Stonewell overseeing the tournament.

Since receiving his new arm, the young man had changed his outfit from a collared shirt with a vest and tie to a black buttoned up greatcoat and white gloves. Luckily with it getting colder, no one noticed the change in his appearance. Kristoff had stood by his word and never said a word to anyone, leaving it up to Edward to come clean whenever he chose. It wasn't that he was afraid to, he just didn't want to burden anyone with the information with so much going on.

Now with everything prepared, the Captain gave Kai a signal who spoke to the Queen and everyone quieted as she stood up to speak. "People of Arenelle, thank you for coming out today to witness the guardians of the kingdom who are pledge to defend you." The crowd clapped as Elsa waited for a moment before continuing.

"This tournament today is being held to decide who will be the defender of the royal family, the last and best line of defense should anything unfortunate happen. I ask that you please enjoy the event and cheer our brave defenders on. For the contenders, I ask you respect one another and remember that you are all on the same side. Now without further ado, let the tournament begin."

Claps and cheers erupted throughout the courtyard as Stonewell stepped into the ring. "Alright, today we have sixteen contenders, these are the best of the best our guards have to offer. They will be assigned a random number between one and sixteen then fight the one guard in their bracket. There will be no rest in between battles and ten minutes of rest between rounds. The final round will have a thirty minute rest time so the final two contenders should have adequate time to rest. Weapons will be blunted and protective chainmail will be worn _at all times. _I will be referring over each fight, there will be no cheap shots, or cheating of any kind. The match will end when one admits defeat or is knocked unconscious, I can also call a match at any time if I feel it is necessary. My word is _final, _any disputes will be punished harshly at my discretion."

With that not so subtle threat, the tournament began. As the battles went by Edward had to admit that the guards had actually improved quite well. So much in fact they could probably give the King's Spearhead a run for their money, if they kept progressing at this rate then breaking off to teach the rest then Arendelle would have a fine military. He recognized some of the guards that Stonewell gave to him from the advanced class had taken his advice and helped better their combat styles.

Unfortunately they were all getting beaten by that asshat Hector.

Edward hated to admit it, he really _really _did, but the guy was going through the guards like they were teenagers. Some had gotten a few hits here and there but the noble shrugged off most hits and swung his mace with both hands that knocked his opponent off their feet. His mace wasn't very large, just slightly longer than a sword with a weight ball at the end to avoid injuries. The problem was that Hector knew how to use his body's momentum to put a lot of force into his swings.

One guard had a sword and shield and tried to keep their shield up to block the mace while using his blunted sword to stab at the noble. Hector at first tried to see if he could just knock the shield out of his way but it held firm so he switched tactics. When the guard went for another stab, the noble spun out the way using his momentum to slam his mace into his opponent's side. The blow left the guard winded who tried to back off while keeping his shield up but Hector changed directions and hit the shield on the edge forcing it out of the way. When his opponent tried to whirl his shield back around to defend himself, he was met with a vicious two handed swing that knocked both him and his helmet into the air.

Needless to say, his opponent was down for the count.

It continued like this for a while, the crowd was of course eating it up, a noble's son, rising through the ranks to protect their Queen, it was like a fairy tale. However, up in the balcony Elsa was a little disturbed by the violence of the guard while Anna had a frown on her face. Surprisingly, Anna had decided against telling Elsa what Hector had said about her. She hoped that someone would put him in his place but so far that didn't seem to be the case. Besides, she was sure that the Captain would say something if the noble had won. She knew that he heard what Hector said and didn't say anything because he was focused on stopping Edward from giving, in her opinion, a much needed talking to.

As all the last battles came to a close and the final round was all that was left, the thirty men rest bit began as the guards tended to one another and sent any of them that sustained injuries to the infirmary. During this time Edward and Kristoff watched as some guards were carried into the infirmary, about half of them being Hector's opponents.

"Looks like that Bowman guy is really good, don't you think?"

"Yeah typically the worst assholes are the best fighters."

Kristoff had heard about the dislike between the young man and the noble. After hearing what Anna said, the ice harvester was surprised to see the guard still walking on two feet. He knew about the kiss between him and Elsa and knew that Edward was fiercely protective of the blonde. If anyone had insulted her or talked about her in a less than lady like way, the mountain man could see the young man taking his anger it very personally. Normally he'd say go for it and teach the guy a lesson but with the addition of Edward's new arm, he wasn't sure that his friend could control himself enough to not kill someone.

He trusted Edward completely, the problem was he also knew that the young man had a mean temper and had seen how strong Wrath was. If Edward threw a punch that had enough force to bodily throw a man across a room and create cracks in rocks, the person on the receiving end of that punch wasn't likely to get back up. So for now, until the young man could completely and totally rein in his anger like he had when they first met, the ice harvester tried to keep him calm.

"Who knows maybe the other finalist will beat him so you won't have to."

"I don't care if he wins or not, I can't touch him anyway, trust me if I could, I would."

"Touch who?"

The two men turned around to see that Anna and Elsa had come down from the balcony during the break. Edward's mind froze when he realized that the last time he spoke to Elsa was when they separated after their night together. Her face still had that beautiful smile it always had but this time there was a twinkle in her eye that he couldn't place. Seeing that Edward was likely not going to say anything the ice harvester took over and answer his fiancee's question.

"Oh just some guy who was being rude earlier."

"This guy wouldn't happen to be Hector Bowman now would it?"

Kristoff was happy Anna wasn't born with fire powers since she always liked playing with it. Everyone here but Elsa was aware of how much the young man disliked the noble and Anna like dancing around that fact. The ice harvester shrugged, not giving the redhead an answer. The Princess not accepting that began to prod in different ways to get the mountain man to say it was Hector but Kristoff remained firm. The two of them began to go back and forth losing interest in the other two people next to them.

Edward shook his head with a smile thinking that these two already acted like a married couple which they would be soon. He then turned back to Elsa who was patiently waiting for him to notice that she wanted to talk to him privately. When she nudged her head toward the garden that was a short walk away, he looked back at the couple in front of him and debated announcing he and Elsa were leaving. After a moment of seeing them continue, he shrugged his shoulders and followed the blonde.

The two of them walked side by side not saying anything as they made it to the garden. In the young man's mind he was running through all the things he could say in his head. After realizing that when he focused on Elsa control of Wrath came easier, he couldn't help but think that maybe they could…

Yet the pessimist inside him said it was a pipe dream since she was a Queen and he was just a lowly commoner. Even if Elsa still wanted to pursue such a dream, her council would not allow it. Despite all the power she possessed, he knew the platinum blonde had agreed to share half the power of the throne with those withered old bastards as an olive branch after the fiasco of her coronation. If she made a move that was too outlandish or jeopardized Arendelle, all of them could unite and force her to abdicate her throne. While it would be a long and irritating legal matter, that would likely end in the blonde's favor, it would still undermine the unity of Arendelle's ruling monarchy.

He really couldn't get over how big of heart the woman next to him possessed. Such a regal figure would likely be portrayed as cold and calculating which Elsa was when she needed to be but she was also the warmest person he'd ever met. He knew how contradictory that sounded in his head, but he didn't care. To him, she was as warm and comforting as all the stars in the sky and shined brighter than any of them.

That was probably one of the reasons he…

Edward stopped, he still didn't know if he understood how one should feel if they actually loved someone. He still hadn't known Elsa long however he shared with her more than he ever did with Ahimoth. Perhaps it was because both of them were so similar in the sense that they both wanted to get far away from their problems. Only difference was, she tried and realized she had to face them, he tried and was still having trouble facing them. The support she gave him meant the world to him, without it, he was sure to have broken down and be even easier pickings for Wrath.

He honestly didn't know if it'd be possible but he wanted a chance to know if what he felt for the woman was actually love. He could see that Anna and Kristoff loved each other but he just didn't understand it, he wanted to have what they had with Elsa. And he knew she wanted the same for herself since that night after dinner where they watched the couple sleep in the parlor.

"Edward?"

Her melodious voice brought him out of his thoughts as he brought his attention back on her. She still had that soft smile with her hands folded in at the waist. Clearing his throat he showed her that she had his full attention.

"I just wanted to apologize for the last week, I'm sure you've noticed but I've been avoiding you this whole time." It wasn't like she was the only one, he tried avoiding her life the plague. There were many times he talked himself out of going to see her instead of diving into his job and acting like nothing was wrong.

"I didn't know what I would say if I actually had to speak to you so I dove into work but remembered to take breaks like you said I should."

That brought a smile to his face, he was happy that the bags under her eyes had disappeared and she looked more rested than she did a week ago.

"Recently I realized that you must be feeling a lot of pressure over being and instructor as well as keeping Wrath in check. You having to worry about me is probably adding to your plate and for that I apologize."

"It's no trouble, I'll always worry about you Elsa."

Her smile got a bit wider but in the back of her mind she was pacing. She had come out here for a specific reason, she was determined to help Edward gain control over Wrath but as she thought about how one thing came to mind. The young man's control was ruled by his emotions like hers. She had seen him lose it completely when her safety was in jeopardy and last time when Wrath almost killed him, she felt it was because of her.

The demon was more like Edward then he'd care to admit, the way he spoke, walked, and even shrugged reminded her of the young man. That is why she referred to Wrath as a he rather than it as Edward does. It's also why she felt there was truth in what Grand Pabbie said that the two of them were the same person just with different aspects of the same personality.

She then considered how establishing a relationship with Edward would factor in his mental state. Love was messy, she knew that now more than ever. Even if what wasn't between them wasn't love, the feeling was strong enough for her ice to move on its own and for him to let Wrath out. As Queen, the relationship would have to be kept secret due to it being improper for a ruling monarch to frolic with a commoner. Especially during a time where suitors from other allied kingdoms would be flocking here to win her favor.

She didn't want to see Edward getting upset or angry at men who attempt to woo her when she was already taken by him. So that's when she came to a decision that came from her mind and not her heart.

"Be that as it may, I feel it was wrong of me to put you in a compromising position when I kissed you. I do hope we can move past that and you allow me to assist you in helping you gain control of your abilities as friends and I'll ensure I won't lose my head like that again."

The words were out there but they still stabbed her heart when she heard herself say them. She maintained her polite smile but her eyes were pained when she saw for a quick moment that the young man's face fell it. It was quick, if she blinked she'd miss it but engraved the look on his face before he molded his into a friendly smile.

He understood why she was doing this, he didn't know how but her eyes somehow told him what was on her mind. She was worried that being in a relationship with her would be detrimental to his progress of controlling Wrath. He felt differently and wanted to argue but her eyes also told that any relationship they could have would be secret and he'd have to watch her entertain courting proposals from other royals at the Gathering. Her eyes asked him if he could watch and do _nothing. _

He wanted to say yes that he could suck it up but he wasn't sure. When he heard Hector speak about her in a lewd way he wanted to kill the guy. He only wanted to because he actually felt that with that kiss, Elsa wanted him and only him. It was childish and stupid but he couldn't help but feel that way. If he pursued a relationship with her and he watched someone do the same, he'd likely kill them on the spot. If he kept his mouth shut and agreed to Elsa's proposal of just remaining friends then he'd have _no _ground to get upset over Princes courting her. It would hurt to watch but he was more likely to be able to tolerate it.

It pained him, so much more than the unfamiliar pain he felt recently, but he nodded. He looked into her beautiful sapphires that were eyes and hoped she knew that he understood what was going through her head.

"I would like nothing more, Your Majesty."

Your Majesty…

Never before had it hurt so much to be called by her title. Nevertheless the two kept fake smiles on their faces and walked back to the courtyard.

The final round would begin soon and everyone had to get back to their previous positions. The soon to be wed couple noticed Edward and Elsa approaching them and were about to ask where they had gone but Stonewell began to roar that the final match would begin in five minutes. Anna asked if the two of them wanted to join them on the balcony but Edward declined saying he needed to stay down here in case the Captain needed him. Kristoff decided to stay down with him as the royal sisters headed back up to the balcony.

"So what did you and Elsa talk about?"

"Ahh so you two actually noticed that we left, I thought your earlier conversation with your bride to be had you lost to the world."

"Of course we noticed but never mind that is everything ok between you two?"

Ok was the right word to describe him and Elsa, they weren't in a bad place yet they could be so much more. Even though he understood why they should remain friends, his heart was still hurting but he would deal with it the same way he dealt with everything. One step at a time.

"Yeah we're ok, we both admitted we've been avoiding each other and we apologized. She said that she would help me learn control and make sure that I don't lose it in the near future."

"That sounds like good news but why do you look so sad?"

Edward cursed himself, he had held it together in front of Elsa but couldn't hide it from the mountain man. He needed to work on that, now that they were strictly friends he had to push out all unnecessary feelings he had toward her. That included the raging irritation he felt when he thought of her with another man. Dragging his hand across his face, the young man turned to the ice harvester with a small smile.

"I'm ok, just have a lot on my mind but I'm sure it'll all work out." Kristoff could tell something was off but chose to let it lie, he wasn't like Anna in the way of having to know everything. He respected that sometimes people needed to think on things before sharing them out loud. They both turned their attention to the ring where Stonewell was announcing the final round.

Hector had the crowd eating of his hands as he showboated to them when the Captain presented him. His opponent was an average height man that had a blunted spear ready to begin. The two shook hands before going off into their corners waiting for the start of the match. On the old man's signal the two rushed at one another. The spear wielder's plan was to use his reach to stay out of the noble's range which was a good strategy. He gave ground when he needed to so he could stay just out of his opponent's reach while using both the spear head as well as the shaft to bat away the mace coming his way.

The noble of course was getting irritated that his opponent was fine with prolonging the battle by fighting out of his reach. He longed to just rush the guard and overpower him but he wasn't stupid. There were too many things that could go wrong if he decided to lose his cool like that. He needed to stay calm and look for a weakness.

After the two traded attacks with neither getting any significant hits in, Hector began to notice something. Every time the guard thrust his spear at him, he'd step forward with his right foot to get an extra few feet in the attack before stepping back with the same foot to get out of danger. However, he always kept his left foot planted, it wasn't much but it was something. The guard wasn't that fast, his footwork was excellent and that was what kept him just out of the noble's range. Hector tried to keep in step with him but the guard would just take a longer step back with his left foot before countering with his spear.

The root of the noble's problem lay with his opponent's footwork, he'd have to compromise it if he wanted the win.

Hector doubted he could land a hit on the guard's leg without opening himself up to a counterattack that could lose him the match, so he decided to explore other options. He took a quick look at the ground around them hoping to find some crack or edge on the ground to take advantage of but found nothing. He then looked at their battlefield around them which was just an open ring with nothing but the two of them inside. That's when it hit him, Hector looked at the wooden fence that was built to separate the crowd from the contenders. It was tall enough to meet his chest and was secured by stone stakes to keep it from falling. He had a plan forming in his mind and was eager to see if it would work.

The noble kept advancing forcing the guard to keep giving ground all the while getting closer to that fence. When Hector judged that his opponent was one step away from hitting the barrier, he made an obvious swing at the guard's right leg who took a step back. Pressing his attack the noble took a step forward and tried another swing that the guard tried to dodge but had his back against the fence. In a hasty move he managed to sidestep the attack and launched a counterattack, hoping to catch the noble in the side. Unfortunately, Hector spun out the way while grabbing the spear shaft and sending a blow to his forearm causing him to let go of his weapon in pain.

Had they not been wearing armor, the guard's arm would've likely been broken but the effects were the same. The guard dropped to a knee holding his arm and was about to roll away to get out of the noble's reach but was met with a spear shaft smacking him across his helmet. The sound the impact made had people wincing and him disoriented as he hit the ground. The guard felt a foot step on his shoulder before a heavy object was pushed up against his helmet. Hector had won and stood over his opponent with both his and his opponent's weapon in hand ready to continue if the man didn't yield.

Captain Stonewell, on the other hand, had seen enough and decided to call the battle in favor of the noble. The crowd cheered as their new champion raised his hands in victory. Edward wasn't surprised at all but still was disappointed that the man had won. He felt a heavy hand pat him on the shoulder as the crowd gathered around to congratulate the man. Before long Elsa had raised a hand to quiet the people as she addressed them.

"There you have it, our champion today is Hector Bowman. I do hope you all enjoyed the tournament and don't forget to congratulate the other contenders who participated as well. Mr. Bowman, I congratulate you on your victory and expect you later for the ceremony of naming you the Royal Guard." The noble made a correct bow before speaking.

"It would be my honor, Your Majesty."

The people in the courtyard stayed to excited converse with one another about the tournament while meeting with the participants who stayed to watch. The Captain had a few guards who were standing by removing all the equipment and take it back to the barracks. Edward was in no mood to help but started gathering equipment with Kristoff who wanted to keep the young man company. By the time all the weapons, armor, and the fence were taken out of the courtyard, the people started to disperse.

Hector was sent to the Captain's office to receive a briefing about his new post while Edward and Kristoff headed to the stables to visit the reindeer. When the two men walked inside, they were greeted by Sven and Olaf who was animatedly talking to the reindeer.

"You should come too Sven, Marshmallow is always saying he misses having people visit him. Especially with all of our little brothers running around the palace."

Edward looked over to the ice harvester before whispering in his ear so he wouldn't interrupt the little snowman. "Who's Marshmallow?" The mountain man debated for a moment on what to say before he answered.

"Go to Elsa's ice palace and you'll meet him."

The young man wasn't sure how to take that but quickly forgot when the other two occupants of the stables noticed them. "Look is Kristoff and Edward! I missed you two so much!" The snowman bounded off his small perch that was a haystack before waddling up and hugging the two men by their legs. The ice harvester patted the little guy on the head while the young man picked up the snowman and setting him on his usual spot on his shoulder. Now that he thought about it, Edward hadn't seen Olaf since he lost to the Captain three weeks ago. With so much going on the little guy slipped his mind but now that he saw the snowman again, he was probably in for unmatched joy when the pile of snow learns he was staying in Arendelle for a longer time.

"It's nice to see you too Olaf, where have you been?"

"Oh I've been staying in Elsa's ice palace visiting Marshmallow."

Ice palace? Edward thought back a few weeks ago the day he met Kristoff, just before he passed out in the snow he remembered seeing a palace made of ice on the North Mountain. It was obviously created by Elsa but he wondered why the blonde never mentioned it. Her story about running away and coming back to Arendelle was still largely unknown to him, he knew that she set off an eternal winter and whatnot but an ice palace somehow slipped her mind.

"That sounds very nice Olaf, so what else have you been doing today?"

"I just got back and heard around town that Elsa was going to get a bodyguard to protect her. I wonder why she needed another one when she already had a great one protecting her."

"What do you mean, she didn't have a bodyguard until today."

"Then what are you? I mean you care about her and protect her, why can't you be her bodyguard?"

Edward stopped to consider what he should say. He remembered that Olaf was essentially a child but was created from Elsa's consciousness so he should have a basic understanding of what he was about to say.

"I can't be her bodyguard because I'm not part of Arendelle, only someone who is a guard can guard royalty, do you understand?"

"Yeah I get that but why don't you become one, don't you want to protect Elsa?"

_More than anything. _

"I do little buddy but there are people who are more suited for the job than me. My job is to help get more people ready to protect Elsa so she can be even more safe."

The snowman seemed to understand that and let the matter die. Kristoff was feeding Sven while watching the two like a big brother would his little kid brother. With the way the young man treated the snowman, it was like he was already part of their little family despite his attempts to stay distant. A thought then just occurred to him, tonight was another family dinner, with all that's been going on it slipped his mind.

"Hey Ed, you coming to dinner tonight?"

The young man's instinctual answer was to say no but when he realized that there was no point in him staying away from all of them he nodded. Besides, he still needed to talk to Gerda and have her teach him how to survive the ball portion of the Winter Solstice Gathering. In the back of his head though he wondered what Elsa would think when she found out that he was going in the Captain's place.

"That's good you haven't been around for one in a while and thought it was time to change that, I'm sure Anna and Elsa will enjoy you coming."

The snowman chose that time to hop in happiness at the news. "Yeah! Maybe you can show me how to like you do without making a mess!" The young man chuckled but realized that when Olaf hopped half his body was anchored to his shoulder since he kept a hand on his legs so he wouldn't fall. The other half flew into Kristoff's hands as he dove forward to catch the head and torso of the little guy who still had a smile on his face.

"I can hardly keep myself in one piece because I'm so excited."

* * *

The council looked pleased as they lined the throne room where the nobles of Arendelle filled the room to witness Hector's ascension to the Queen's personal guard. Elsa and Anna were standing on the raised dais waiting for the man to approach. The blonde had molded her face into her signature regal mask with an easy smile while Anna made an effort to not fidget from standing still too long. Kai cleared his throat and spoke from his diaphragm to make sure his voice carried through the throne room.

"Presenting, Hector Bowman, the Champion of the tournament." The large doors opened and Hector strode in with a regal expression for once. There wasn't an ounce of arrogance on his face as he marched through the throne room and kneeled before the Queen. Elsa recited the oaths she had learned as a child that a personal guard should take before being inducted in. Their main duty was to protect the monarch as well as be only under her command. That meant that no one but her could order him and he had the power to deal with matters as he saw fit in times of crisis.

When she finished and he agreed, she raised a ceremonial sword before knighting him as Sir Hector Bowman. The noble class in the throne room cheered as the personal guard took his place behind the Queen. Multiple nobles came to congratulate the man while the council had approving looks on their faces. Now that the Queen had a protector, it was time they moved on to the next order of business.

Finding her a suitor.

While they were aware that the Queen hadn't made much headway in finding a spouse her willingness to allow them to act for the sake of the kingdom made things a lot easier. They had invited multiple Princes to the Gathering all the while making their monarch out to be a lonely woman desperate for attention. They did this silently of course so the Queen wouldn't feel threatened but was pleased with the replies they had gotten. There was however one matter that could be beneficial or disastrous.

Blackdust had sent a letter stating the Prince was adamant with not returning to Arendelle so the King himself had decided to fill the void left by his son. While the majority of Blackdust was still shrouded in mystery, there were a few names that were mentioned from time to time from kingdoms who had seen the secretive military in action.

One of those names were Alrick the Mystic, the founder and commander of the Mystic Guard. As far as rumors go, they painted him as a brilliant tactician as well as vicious warrior who led his men on the frontlines and had quite a few victories under his belt. He was also the one to spark a civil war that took Blackdust away from anyone trying to hire their army. Now he stood as King of his kingdom, there were some concerns the newly appointed King would attempt to exploit them during the Gathering. Another concern was a rumor that the man was responsible for combating mystic threats and surviving them, thus getting his title.

Their Queen was a mystic entity.

The council didn't think it'd be wise to have a man who had taught his own personal army had to combat mystic threats, attend the Gathering without having extra security. That was were Hector came in, they planned on meeting with him privately and discussing their concerns and make sure he kept his eye on the King at all times and would not hesitate to defend the Queen.

They had brought up this matter with the Captain but the old buffoon waved off their concerns. The council was beginning to grow tired of the man's antics and longed to see him removed however the Captain had an outstanding service record. Not to mention, he was still fit enough to perform his duties as well as defend the kingdom if need be. So the council settled on reminding the old man where his place was and that he served _them. _The old man had surprisingly left without a word after they drove that point home.

That left the new instructor Edward.

The young man was still a mystery to them, they had each talked with multiple guards who trained under the man but they all knew just as much as everyone else did. He was a soldier from a foreign land who was skilled enough to combat the Queen's kidnapper. Elsa had come to the man's defense when they questioned if he was a threat but they couldn't be sure that she wasn't being biased due to him saving her. They had also noticed that the Queen had been off for a week, she acted the same as usual but her focus would become shaky every so often and the pace at which she worked declined.

While they were still ahead of most matters, due to her previous work ethic of the last year, they feared she was beginning to become distracted. This change had become apparent after Edward had appeared. Earl Edward had also recounted seeing the young man in the Queen's personal study. Surely the Queen hadn't been charmed by this mystery man. The council began to keep an eye on the young man and found that he had little opportunities to meet with the Queen since he'd be either training the guards or going off with that ice harvester.

Until today when he and the Queen had left the courtyard together during the wait period of the final round. They didn't want to jump to conclusions but the council felt that the young man was having an effect on the Queen. As such if things continued in this direction, they would be forced to ensure that Edward leave Arendelle.

It seems there was one more thing that they needed to speak to Hector about.

* * *

Hiking through the snow-covered mountains to the north, Lust and Gluttony were heading to a camp of some sort. Greed had given them directions to one of the last camps that housed Rakat's army. According to him, Father had decided that the two Sins were to stay with the army to prepare for the first stage of his plan while Greed continued with his side project that could make up the time Alrick took from them.

The hike was long and the wind blew viciously which would've forced normal people to not even attempt the trek. Fortunately for the two Sins, their bodies allowed them to at least get started. Gluttony had decided to take Lust's pack and travel ahead of her to stomp down the snow as well as block her from the strong winds. The woman said nothing as she stared at the man's back who continued forward and every so often he'd turn to make sure she was still behind him.

With the sound of the wind howling and them focusing on their march, Lust began to let her mind wander. She began to remember when Gluttony didn't have red eyes, back when his name was James. She had known him as a simple soldier trying to do the best he could in times of war. He was nice, polite, caring, and selfless. Rare qualities for someone under the command of Asger the Crusher. Back in those days, he was the only man she ever trusted.

The only man who had never hurt her.

She was weak back then and swore to herself she would never return to that state. She embraced what she was now but couldn't help but see the irony that she was named after the Sin Lust. Father's cruel humor knew no bounds, however the power she received made up for it. She now could make any man bend to her whims, she was quite excited to test them on the men who hurt her.

Only to find out that sweet little James had killed them all.

The men who hurt her were monsters in human form and she wouldn't miss them. What bothered her was how someone as nice as James hunted them down and devoured them like they were food. She couldn't believe that the best man she ever knew had lost his mind and become a cannibal, until Father took her to meet the other Sins. There were two of them there with Pride and Wrath being unaccounted for and Greed and Envy leaving on orders. Father went through introduced Sloth who didn't even bother looking up to acknowledge their existence but when she locked eyes with Gluttony she couldn't help but see James.

There were so many things she wanted to ask him but she remembered the first words that alchemist said to her when she became Lust.

_Rin is dead and now you will be called Lust._

She wasn't the same girl that James knew and he wasn't the same soldier she knew before he became Gluttony. Father had told the three of them they were to remain hidden and leave when he told them to and left them alone. The two of them didn't speak to one another, even when the Sins left they would not talk about the past. However it was the little gestures here and there that showed Lust that James was still inside Gluttony.

Unfortunately she was Lust now and even if she had Rin's memories, she wasn't going to go back to that pitiful state she used to be in. Rin wouldn't have toyed with men the way Lust did, she also wouldn't be able to watch Gluttony devour his victims whenever he found himself deathly hungry.

Rin also wouldn't be able to enjoy the feel of a man's skin that wasn't James's against her own. The arousal she'd feel when she controlled the man that was under her like a puppet and cut his strings when she was done with him. The heat in her stomach would burn at the thought and her body stood at attention as she searched out her next victim all the while aware of the disapproving eyes aimed at her.

Gluttony never strayed too far from her whenever she'd engage in these activities, he's probably be in the next room. Part of her hated that he looked at her with disappointment as she flaunted in his face over and over that she wasn't Rin and she'd fuck as many men as she'd have to to get it through his thick skull.

Another part of her remembered how his skin felt against hers and how loving his kisses and caresses were that made her shout his names to the heavens. Try as she might, _no man _has ever been able to surpass the amount of pleasure she received from James. She knew why and hated to think about it, the one thing that set every man apart from James was that he loved Rin.

Lust was a strong emotion but had nothing on love.

Rin was his whole world and to see her body sleeping with multiple men must've killed him but he always kept his eye on her. She didn't know why, he wasn't James, he was Gluttony, he shouldn't care about her but he did. She offered that they fuck to get it out of the way but he responded in a way only James would've responded.

"_I would never fuck you, I only desire to make love with you."_

She hated the way her heart fluttered when he said that, she wasn't Rin, but in that moment she wished like hell she was. After that her main goal with him was to convince him that she wasn't Rin and remind him that he was Gluttony now. He didn't say much but she he'd always look out for her and she didn't know if she like that or not.

"We should stop in that cave over there and wait this storm out. Rakat's men wouldn't be stupid enough to travel during this so we can rest. Father also said that the first stage of the plan would take time so we don't have to hurry."

Lust was brought out of her thoughts as Gluttony pointed to a cave not too far ahead of them. She squinted her eyes past him and saw that they still had quite a ways to go before reaching the camp. She nodded her head and followed him into the cave where he set down their bags before announcing he would look for some firewood. She honestly doubted he'd find any but made no move to stop him as he left and she began pulling out their supplies. Even though they were Sins, Gluttony had demanded they gathered supplies before making the trek.

Lust had unrolled her fur blankets he bought for her to keep her warm and debated setting his up as well. After a moment of thinking she found herself digging through his pack only to find he didn't pack anything to sleep on. She shook her head, they both could survive sleeping in the winter storm without too much trouble but he went out of his way to make sure she was warm and made sure his bag was full of tools and food they really didn't need. Repacking his bag, she took off her heavy winter coat and boots leaving her in a simple blue shirt and fur trousers.

The cave had blocked out all the cold air and with a fire likely going to be inside it, Lust shed her fur trousers leaving her in only her shirt and small clothes. After doing so she sat on her blankets and waited for her companion to return. He came back about ten minutes later with a tree trunk about as thick as her body slung over his shoulder. The wood was frozen covered in snow and likely wet but she didn't question him as he sat it down in front of him while propping himself against a wall.

She watched him raise his hand and black dust swirled into it before he grabbed a side of the trunk and ran his hand down it. The wet wood gave way to the dryer wood inside as he kept running his hand down the sides to make sure only the dry wood remained. To most people, they would think he was somehow melting or making the wood disappear as he touched it but not to her. She had seen his trick plenty of times and knew how dangerous it was.

He was eating the wood.

On his hands were small mouths that to her knowledge could eat anything they came in contact with. She had seen him swipe people's heads off with his hands and their whole head would be covered in bite marks from that one slap. Since they were so small, it was horrible to watch them eat a grown person, it was like watching a person turn into pink mist one limb at a time. Surprisingly Gluttony rarely ate people, he'd have to get really worked up to do it but generally he settled on just eating food instead.

After a while, the man finished and had set up a small fireplace out of rocks and wood before lighting a match and creating a fire next to Lust's fur blankets. With that done, the man took his place against the wall and closed his eyes, leaned his head back with his arms crossed.

For a while she stared at him, when the storm let up they were going to Rakat's men as Lust and Gluttony. Father's plan didn't need the interference of Rin or James's memories causing the two Sins to hesitate. Before Greed had left them, he told them that Envy was killed because he was becoming a liability to Father. That couldn't happen to the two of them, Lust wouldn't allow that.

With that thought in her mind, the woman got to her feet and took long strides to close the distance between her and the man before swinging a leg over his and straddling him. His red eyes opened with an annoyed look and before he could tell her to get off, she grabbed him by the collar and smashed her lips against his. The surprised gasp from him gave her the opportunity to shove her tongue into his mouth and keep it open.

Lust wasn't sure this would work, Father may have explained how all their abilities worked against humans but he didn't explain how it would work against other Sins. However she was desperate and didn't want to see the man in front of her become a liability. Black dust came from her mouth and rushed into his, her hands came up to his cheeks and held him there while more dust flew from her hands into his skin.

Lust's unique ability allowed her to influence men with just a look from her red eyes, she could also strengthen that influence with her hands. Finally, if neither of those worked she could kiss them and she had total control of their minds for a limited time.

She mostly used this to get men to do her bidding or sleep with her but right now she was trying _very _hard to bury any thoughts or feelings James had for her. The effects weren't permanent but she hoped they'd last long enough to keep the Sin out of trouble.

She felt that familiar feeling of something stiffening under her that made her want to laugh. Gluttony was still a male and his body still responded to stimulation. She was actually surprised he hadn't pushed her off yet and hoped that her ability was working but continued pouring dust into the male to make sure. After a few moments, Lust finally backed out of the kiss for air and stared into the man's eyes. He had lost his annoyed look he had when she first started and stared at her with a blank expression. Lust held her breath as she waited for him to say something. After what seemed like an eternity to her he finally spoke.

"Did you really think that you could alter my mind like the others?"

Her heart froze as he lightly pushed her away from him before swinging her leg off of him. She couldn't believe that didn't work, she put so much effort into trying to sway his mind but he not only was he unaffected, he was _aware _of what she attempted. Shock was soon replaced with anger as she got to her feet and stared down at him with taut rage.

"It was worth a try since you clearly have a death wish."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You know damn well what I mean! Envy is dead because he couldn't follow Father's orders. We are going to Rakat's men as Gluttony and Lust, not Rin or James! You need to accept that we aren't those people anymore! You have no reason to always look out for me, I'm one of the Seven Deadly Sins like you are and can pull my own weight. I don't need to worry about you putting me ahead of Father's orders because you have mistaken me for James's little sweetheart who died!"

Lust's outburst reverberated throughout the cave but the man had a patient look on his face. This was a long time coming and the storm wasn't letting up soon so they had plenty of time to air this out.

"I will do what Father commands me to do, he plans to better the human race and I will do all I can because humans cannot be trusted. They are weak and impulsive, that's why I decided to become one of the seven to bring about their change. The human race produced men who raped the woman I loved and I killed them for it but there will no doubt be others who will take their place, I cannot allow that. You say you're worried about me becoming a liability, that won't happen, its my old emotions as James that drive me to do what Father bids. When we arrive I will embrace my role as Gluttony and ensure the plan succeeds." The man then got to his feet and walked forward before he towered over her and leaned down into her personal space.

"So far the only liability is you, you tell me that Rin is dead but only Rin would worry about me being killed. We are Sins, we died getting these abilities and will die once again when Father bids it, there is no need to worry about one another as long as we do what we are tasked. I worry about you because James was fully aware of what would entail becoming Gluttony, so I ask you Lust, why are you worried?"

She stood her ground and looked at him with a frown and her shoulders shaking in anger. He knew why she was worried, Rin's damn feelings persisted and she didn't want to see him go. He was right though, she was doing what she accused him of, they had both joined to improve humanity. She couldn't let her human feelings get the best of her. As she squared her shoulders and prepared a retort she was cut off by him placing his lips against her.

Her eyes widened as she felt two arms wrap themselves around her waist to pull her closer as held her there with the kiss. She stood frozen for the duration of the kiss that ended when he pulled back and smiled like the man she used to love. "Rin's feelings drive your actions and that is fine, trying to suppress them will only lead to you not realizing your strength. Remember what humans did to Rin and why you're Lust now, remember your reason for fighting. That's the only way we'll succeed."

He let her go and moved to return to his seat against the wall but was stopped by two arms wrapping around his neck. He looked back to see her eyes staring at him with an intense expression.

"Then help me remember why every human besides James needs to be educated." With that she pulled him toward her while jumping to wrap her legs around him and attacked his mouth. For once he obliged her and the two let their old feelings reconfirm why they became Sins.

Lust did it because Rin was used as a sexual toy by humanity and she wanted revenge.

Gluttony did it because a human race that allowed the woman he loved to be hurt like that needed to be corrected.

And they both knew that their goals could only be completed by spilling an ocean of blood.

* * *

Elsa had finally returned to her room after the long day she had had. After getting through the tournament as well as naming her personal guard, she honestly wasn't looking forward to the usual family dinner and just wanted to go to bed. However, she put aside her feelings and attended with her personal guard standing close by. She still didn't know what to make of the Hector, she'd seen how violent he could be and heard he was antagonistic with other guards but so far he'd yet to show that around her.

Until Edward showed up at the dinner and the two met one another.

The tension was palpable as the two stared one another down. Hector said nothing to the young man but the frown on his face showed there was much he wanted to say. Edward stiffly congratulated the guard and ignored the eyes that followed him to his seat. Dinner went slowly after that, the new instructor took measure bites out his meal and made a point to avoid looking in Elsa's direction that would also be looking in Hector's direction.

Anna and Olaf tried lightening the mood but had very limited success. It got even more awkward when Edward had asked Gerda if she could assist him in getting ready for the Gathering since he was taking the Captain's place. The older woman had agreed to help while taking a glance at the platinum beauty who couldn't help but stare at the young man.

_He's going to the Gathering?_

That was the last place she wanted him to go, after their talk earlier today, she didn't want to him to have any reason to get upset. She knew how angry Stonewell got after attending one last year, and found the idea of Edward going to be a bad idea. When they all separated from dinner she had asked the young man if he could speak with her before he left. He agreed of course and they went to her personal study with Hector following behind them.

When they arrived, Elsa asked that the guard remain outside so they had some privacy. He looked ready to refuse but said nothing as he fixed the young man with a look that lasted a moment before leaving the room. After he was gone, she had immediately asked why he was attending the Gathering. He explained to her it was a favor to the Captain and nothing more. Elsa could understand that but couldn't help pointing out how bad things could get if he lost control at the ball. He responded with one sentence that made her mind go blank for a moment.

"_And what reason could I possibly have for becoming upset?"_

She knew what he was alluding to and couldn't help but look away from him. They agreed to remain strictly friends, so any attempts the Princes made to court her had no reason to make him upset. Despite it being her idea she couldn't stop the small stab of pain in her heart when he said it so simply with a natural expression.

She instantly lost the desire to continue the conversation and felt that they both should retire for the night which he agreed. He wished her goodnight and was on his way while she made a beeline for her room. Now that she was the confines of her room where she could be alone with her thoughts, she put her head in her hands and couldn't help but think of everything that happened today.

She had a new guard who would follow her wherever she went. It would please the council and offer additional protection to the throne as well as get her used to other people being around her.

And weighing heavily on her mind was the fact she had essentially destroyed any chance at being more than friends with the one man who lit a fire under her skin. The Queen of Arendelle knew it was the more logical choice but Elsa couldn't help but wish she could take back what she said. Now he would be attending a ball where multiple men would be trying to win her hand. She was worried that despite his assurances he'd get upset but a small part of her feared that he felt nothing when he watched her entertain her suitors.

That he honestly and truly had no reason to feel anything for her anymore.

She couldn't think about this tonight, guests would be arriving soon and she had to play hostess. The blonde laid her head back and closed her eyes to rest for tomorrow. But in her dreams, she couldn't help but smile at the thought of her and Edward dancing in the ballroom together, nothing in the world able to stop them.

* * *

**Ahh I'm not feeling it, this chapter was kind of a disappointment to me I'm so sorry guys. I think I rushed this chapter. I hope y'all enjoyed it but idk it wasn't doing it for me. Hopefully I can drop a new update soon, it'll likely be on a Saturday since I got a big workload ahead of me for the next week. Please drop a review or PM me if you feel the need to. Have a nice one and stay tuned. **


	24. Chapter 24

Edward was currently in his room getting ready for the ball that marked the beginning of the Winter Solstice Gathering. He had bought a long navy blue frock coat that had that had the bottom flaps separated into two tails with a black fur inner lining that was trimmed with gold. His black cuffs were thick and were secured with one out of the two buttons. The coat was simple and might seemed somewhat bland but it was easy to move in plus he actually liked it. The material was somewhat thick yet wasn't heavy to wear, and it had a latch to secure the open sides together should one wish to be warm. He opted to keep it open while wearing a navy blue dress shirt with a black vest and tie. After finishing his ensemble he inspected his clothing for any imperfections that could be present.

When he could see none, he looked over to his desk at the thick black leather gloves that laid there. The coat kept his hands uncovered which was a problem when he looked over to his left one where a red clawed hand poked out the sleeve. The days after Hector had been made the Queen's personal guard, training for all the guards had once again been suspended to prepare for the Gathering. During that time Edward had been meeting with Gerda and given a quick rundown on how to act in high class society. Their time was short but with his childhood lessons on being proper, learning noble etiquette didn't take too long.

It was the dance lessons that were the biggest obstacle.

It took him hours to get a base understanding of some dances. It was painful to watch him in the beginning but he now he wasn't a hopeless case as he was when he started. When he'd leave the castle and have the rest of the day to himself after his lessons, he went out of the village into the mountains to be alone. There he'd shed his great coat and white gloves and rolled up his left sleeve to reveal his arm.

Since he'd last spoken to Wrath, Edward found that he couldn't use any of the demon's abilities. It seemed the predator wasn't going to let him use them after a few days. His body was still stronger than a human's and he could still get a small warning when someone was angry but not enough to read their thoughts and moves. His left arm though seemed to retain all of the demon's abilities.

Edward could knock down a tree with a single punch and his claws were sharp enough to carve into thick tree trunks quite easily. From the dagger test in his room, he realized his arm could heal just as fast as he could will his body to when he had control over the demon's abilities. It was likely that Wrath was using this arm to test in some way, what it could mean however he didn't know. It took time but he was able to ensure no one was aware of anything wrong with his left arm. The claws on his fingertips were controllable enough to the point he could keep them from shredding his gloves or cutting anything he held.

When Gerda had him learn the waltz, he was extremely worried she'd feel the difference in his left hand when he held hers but she didn't seem none the wiser. That was good, he was making progress however tonight would be the ultimate test. As much as he'd love to just stay in the background and not dance he was sure that he would have to. He donned his gloves and made his way out of his room and toward the castle while mentally trying to assure himself.

As he walked he couldn't help his thoughts going to a certain blonde. While he remembered that _should _have no reason to get upset at the ball, he couldn't help but doubt himself. When he asked Elsa what reason could he have to get upset, he fought to keep his expression from betraying his thoughts. Logically speaking, he was right for saying that since she was a Queen and he had no claim on her whatsoever, especially after she decided they remained strictly friends. From an emotional standpoint however he wanted to refuse and tell her that no man in there deserved her and she should send them packing.

_What makes me more deserving of her then them?_

He couldn't help that last train of thought going through his head. It was his inner cynic talking but it was an honest thought. Just because he got a kiss from her doesn't mean he deserved her, the guilt from his past still plagued him today and he felt that he still needed to pay for it. He shook his head, he couldn't think about that tonight, he needed to focus on making sure he didn't lose his cool at the ball.

There were men coming for Elsa's hand he didn't assure her that everything would be fine only for him to lose it at the first pretty boy. He would remain calm and collected, he'd represent the Captain well and maybe dance a few times to play his part. Then he'd leave and fulfill his duty so the summit that was scheduled after the ball could go on and he could focus on security.

The gates of the castle greeted him where the guards let him pass. There were a few guests here and there waiting for the ballroom to open. The young man lightly tugged on the bottom of his coat to straighten out any wrinkles while pulling his black gloves back and taking a long breath. It was time to focus, the ball would only last a few hours, just a few hours.

He's been in foreign lands fighting terrible battles while keeping his head on straight and on a swivel. He endured the hell of living with his father and obeying his stuck up rules on how one should present themselves and became a successful soldier in an elite force. One ball shouldn't be too hard.

He kept telling himself that but as more and more guests arrived and he could pick out a few Princes who walked with that arrogant air around them he couldn't help but sigh.

_This is gonna be a long night._

* * *

Elsa was overlooking the steady flow of guests as they entered the courtyard and were waiting for the ballroom doors to open. For tonight she decided to forgo her usual ice dress in lieu of something more traditional. She wore a dark blue dress with a black bodice accented with white winter snowflakes she melded on herself. Her hands were free of the gloves that she thought would conceal her magic and hoped it would make her seem more approachable.

Her hair was fashioned in the same manner as her coronation and had her long lost tiara that was returned by Kristoff when he went up the mountain to drop off the snowgies, little snowmen she created when she had a fever. She applied a light blush on her cheeks with some magenta eye shadow and rosy red lipstick. She also for once decide to leave her cape, she had a feeling that she would be forced to dance and decided that flat shoes and no cape would make her night easier.

When she looked herself over in the mirror, she could see her mother staring back at her. The two of them were so alike that they could be twins except she was a blonde while her mother was a brunette. Her mother always dressed in a conservative manner befitting a regal Queen. Perhaps that was why Elsa made her outfits with her flawless skin exposed, as a sort of rebellion from her late parents. She loved and missed them dearly but her childhood consisted mostly of them teaching and preparing her to be a Queen and not embracing that she was a teenage girl. While she loved her dresses she felt that tonight she should try to appear like her parents while she was with so many of Arendelle's allies.

With one final check, the blonde left her room and walked down the hall to see her personal bodyguard waiting for her. Hector had cleaned up very nicely, his hair was slicked back with his face freshly shaved. His clothing consisted of a green overcoat with purple and black crocus designs with some medals on his chest that most likely came from his service in the guard. His trousers were a darker green almost a moss color that was tucked into his black boots.

He was conversing with a maid, unaware the Queen was coming his way. She watched him whisper a few words into the woman's ear that made her giggle and blush before going off to fulfill her duties. Elsa wasn't really surprised she had seen him do the same to two other maids after he first started. Back then she raised an eyebrow at the behavior and finally noticed the looks Anna gave the man when he had his back turned. When the blonde asked her sister about it, the redhead finally told her what happened in the training yard the other day when she was talking to Edward.

While it somewhat disgusted her that her personal bodyguard expressed an interest in 'heating up her cold body' she was more interested in Edward's reaction. Anna said the young man looked downright furious and ready to give her guard a piece of his mind but was stopped by the Captain who explained it would be a bad idea to harm the noble. It made her heart flutter to know that Edward wanted to defend her honor yet it also worried her that he would explode tonight at the ball. She then remembered the way the two looked at one another at the dinner the night Hector was made her personal guard.

The young man didn't seem to be angry at her guard. He only seemed stiff and tried to be polite when he congratulated the noble. The feeling was hardly mutual as Elsa had caught the glares Hector sent the young man's way and the look he had on his face when she asked he leave the two of them alone. Edward had remained calm in front of the latest man he almost lost his temper to. She had no idea the Captain knew of the council's weariness to the new instructor and how many times she defended the young man. She hadn't meant for Edward to know so he wouldn't feel he owed her anything but it seems the Captain thought differently and decided to tell him.

Edward was likely going to take what Stonewell said to heart and try his damndest to remain calm at the ball. He had a pretty good grip on his anger before she was kidnapped but the following events after it was emotionally trying. Even for her, who had nothing to do with what happened, couldn't stop herself from shedding tears for the tortured man. As a Queen she told herself time and time again she couldn't get invested into one man that couldn't be a King. Elsa, however wished that Hector wasn't waiting at the end of the hallway to escort her to the ball, she wished Edward was patiently waiting out her door with a smirk on his face and his arms crossed.

Dispelling those thoughts she reached her personal guard who bowed when he noticed her presence. "Your Majesty, permit me to say, you look radiant tonight." Elsa had a polite smile on her face as she curtised in response. "Why thank you Hector, you dress quite nicely, I'm sure Kira found you quite dashing." The man's eyes widened for a moment as he fought to keep his face from showing his surprise. He didn't expect the Queen to see him claim his next conquest, surely this would harm his chances at earning her favor. When he straightened up she still had a polite smile on her face that gave away nothing but Hector was no fool, she saw right through him.

"Ahh yes, she wanted to know what it was like being the personal guard to the Queen. I only said that I haven't been assigned to this post long and can't accurately say anything." The blonde nodded her head and didn't press the issue before taking regal steps down the staircase without a word. Hector followed her with a respectable distance between them as they arrived to the ballroom. The finishing touches were being added by the staff as they set food and drinks off to the side to allow room for dancing.

When Kai gave her a nod saying everything was ready she ordered the guards to open the gates and watched the guests swarm into her ballroom. It quickly became quite loud as the guests began to mingle and dance with one another on the floor. Elsa choose to remain on the raised dais to oversee the ball as well as field any dignitaries who wished to say hello.

The blonde wished her sister would show so she wouldn't have to do all the talking but so far Anna was nowhere to be seen. The redhead had said that she might be running a little late since she wanted to make sure Kristoff was ready for tonight. The blonde could understand that this might not be the ice harvester's comfort zone but the fact that he was marrying her sister made it necessary to start learning how to be a Prince consort. Elsa hoped there wouldn't be too many men trying to woo her sister in front of Kristoff, the man maybe peaceful and usually thought things through but she knew everyone had their breaking point. Being reminded constantly he was a commoner and an attack dog made the Captain livid, she didn't want to see that happen to the mountain man.

Some dignitaries came up and greeted her as time passed, some Princes even tried asking her for a dance which she politely denied saying she didn't know how to dance. As her eyes scanned the ballroom they landed on a familiar hair of brown hair that was wearing a navy blue coat. She thought had that Hector cleaned up well, but Edward was a different story. He looked very handsome in his simple attire as opposed to the myriad of finely dressed nobles that bussed around. He stood off to the side trying to not to draw any attention to anyone but he managed to capture the Queen's.

A few moments passed and Elsa watched a young woman in a fine pink dress approach him and start talking to him in an animated manner. She couldn't hear what they were saying of course but she watched the young man smile and bow in a joking manner which caused her to giggle. The blond raised an eyebrow as the woman offered her hand which he took and led her to the dance floor. Elsa chose this time to look away, she stomped down the sick feeling she had in her gut as she forced a polite smile on her face for the next dignitary.

She had chosen this, and now she'll live with it.

* * *

Anna wasn't helping Kristoff get ready for the ball, the ice harvester had already been ready for hours. Her true objective was to get something for tomorrow. Not many people knew but tomorrow was Elsa's birthday. The blonde had decided that there wouldn't be a giant party for her birthday and instead wanted to use the time to get closer with Arendelle allies. The redhead had opposed this saying that her sister's birthday was an important event on its own but the blonde wouldn't budge.

Surprisingly Anna kept her mouth shut to anyone that her sister's birthday was during the Gathering. She only told Kristoff who helped her plan a small surprise party last year after the summit was done. They still had the same plan this year but both of them forgot to include the newest addition to their lives: Edward. He had no idea that tomorrow was Elsa's birthday, despite the weird tension around him and Elsa, the young man should be apart of her sister's special day.

That brought her to her current predicament, finding him. She had left Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven to start with the preparation of the surprise party as she rushed to join the ball. Kristoff offered to go so that no she wouldn't be swept up in the ball but she knew that Elsa was likely looking for her so it was better if she went instead of the ice harvester. The redhead burst through the doors of the ballroom to see that the party inside was already in full swing.

The guests were currently dancing with one another with the royal band playing. Anna carefully weaved throughout the mass of people looking for the young man but so far didn't have much luck.

_Maybe Elsa's seen him._

The redhead pushed through the crowd until she made it to the dais where her sister was speaking with some Prince who was trying to flatter her into dancing with him. "My Queen someone of your beauty and grace cannot possibly not be able to dance and even if you cannot I would be more than honored to teach you." Elsa had that polite smile on her face but Anna could tell that she wanted to say no, coming to her sister's rescue, the redhead brushed up against her.

"Elsa thank goodness I found you, Sven got loose and is running rampant in the courtyard, he'll only listen to you so I need you to come with me." The blonde tried not to roll her eyes as she allowed herself to be pulled into the crowd disappearing from the Prince's line of sight. She looked back to see Hector attempting to follow after them but smiled when she watched him get swallowed up in the mass of bodies. Anna had come up with several excuses to pull Elsa away when she needed to without being rude to their guest. Sven causing trouble was chief among them since not many knew who the reindeer was.

When the two women exited a side door that led to an empty balcony, the redhead closed the door behind them so they could have privacy. The blonde couldn't help the sigh that escaped her lips as she leaned against the stone railing with her hands massaging her temples. "Thank you Anna, that was the sixth Prince who wanted me to dance. I was getting tired of finding ways to tell them no and you came in the nick of time."

"What are sisters for?"

The blonde smiled as she felt the mounting headache begin to recede behind her eyes. She would only hide out here for a moment before returning to the ball. "So where have you been, usually you'd be bouncing around the party with Kristoff in tow?"

"Oh, he's being a big baby so I'm letting him sit this one out until the party dies down a bit. He suggested that I should just go but when I asked him if he was fine with me turning down Princes hands without him, he said he'd be right down. Anyway that's not why I'm here, I was wondering if you'd seen Edward, while I was on my way here the Captain said to send him his way if I saw him."

The smile that was on the blonde's face once again evaporated at the mention of the young man. Anna had to stop herself from pulling out her hair, seriously why did these two have to make things so hard? "Alright what is it _this _time?"

Elsa could pick up the mild irritation in her sister's voice and looked ready to say it was nothing but the raised eyebrow daring her to say it had her telling the truth.

"I just saw him dancing with some woman not too long ago, no big deal."

"Ok what's the problem with that, you and I both know he has feelings for you, why did it bother you he's taking the Captain's place and mingling with people like he was supposed to? It's not like he's gonna fall for some girl tonight when he has you."

"...What if he doesn't?"

Anna had a confused expression on her face as she thought about what her sister said. They both _knew _that Edward had feelings for Elsa he admitted it to both of them and his reaction to Hector further confirmed it, so why did the blonde doubt it so much. The redhead was about to ask when her sister just huffed and started to rant while pacing.

"This is _frustrating _I can't get him out of my head! There is no way me and him could ever be together, the council wouldn't approve and I doubt other kingdoms would to if they found out about his past! On top of that, he still needs help controlling Wrath and I don't know how to help him do that, how do you even do that. Grand Pabbie said he needed to accept him and Wrath are one in the same but Edward religiously believes that can't be true, who can blame him, Wrath killed his mother _right in front of him! _He also caused Edward's death and used his body to slaughter his comrades and innocent people, of course, Edward wouldn't want to be that demon. When I was kidnapped and he came to save me, he used Wrath to slaughter those men without hesitation in a brutal fashion. He has a right to be worried that Wrath could take him over and slaughter everyone in Arendelle if he's not careful. I tried to be there for him and even helped him face Ahimoth but all that got him was being banished from his homeland. I'm worried that I'm the cause of him losing control, he used to be able control his temper quite well, he let some guy _spit _on him without losing it, now he's ready to injure my personal guard after one comment about me! I appreciate that, I really do, but I might be making things worse for him, when I told him that kiss was a mistake I thought it would be better for the both of us if we just remained friends. He wouldn't have any reason to get upset and I could help him learn control if we kept our feelings out of this. Now I see him laughing and dancing with some girl and I can't help but wish that was me! He's probably already over his feelings but _I'm not! _I want to tell him that I made a mistake and want to be with him but that ship has likely already sailed and it wouldn't be feasible. I would still be Queen and he would still be considered a banished traitor from another kingdom who had a hand in a long line of wars across the world!"

Elsa kept her voice down to an icy whisper but as she spoke she became more animated and waved her arms causing the balcony outside to freeze. Luckily the ice didn't seem to make its way toward the ballroom, being content with just causing a miniature snowstorm in around the blonde. The redhead wasn't too bothered by the cold thanks to the dress she had in preparation for the Gathering. Anna's dress was reminiscent to her coronation dress with winter accents such as a baby blue color scheme with fur sleeves and a collar to adapt to the cold weather.

What surprised her was Elsa's dam of feelings coming down in such a way, the redhead got her to not give up on helping the young man but that didn't apply to their relationship. While she wanted to say that the council could go jump off a cliff, she knew her sister cared about what they thought about her and since they had just as much power as she did they couldn't be ignored. If Edward's past and current predicament were made known to the council there would be dire consequences.

They could use him to make it seem like Elsa was intentionally putting Arendelle in danger by having a demon among them training their guards. They could use that to force her to abdicate her throne, in that scenario it would likely fall to Anna but that meant they had a new target to get rid of and with her marrying an ice harvester and her lack of aptitude in politics she didn't like her chances. She knew that love was a dangerous game but it was one that Anna believed needed to be played.

Anna plunged herself into the snowstorm to give her sister a calming hug who was leaning over the railing with her hands in her hair. The redhead rubbed her back and waited until the snowstorm subsided and the balcony thawed. After a few moments Elsa straightened her back and returned the hug.

"Thank you, I just needed to get that out."

"What are sisters for?"

Elsa softly smiled.

"Alright you need more time to calm down, so you stay here until I get back, I won't be gone long, just stay here ok?" When the redhead got a nod in response she rushed through the balcony door and her heart stopped when she bumped into someone not three feet from the door.

Hector caught the redhead before executing a bow and looking at her with a blank expression as she looked up at him with a nervous one. Had he been standing here the whole time, if he was, did he hear everything Elsa said about Edward? She wanted to ask what he heard but kept her mouth shut, if she said anything that would give away something was up with the young man. The Princess racked her brain for anything to say, anything at all but kept coming up blank. It was when the man began to open his mouth did she wince in preparation of what he'd ask.

"The King of Blackdust has asked if he could speak with the Queen, would you please tell me where I can find her so I can deliver the message?"

Anna couldn't help the sigh that escaped her lips, if he didn't know where Elsa was then he didn't hear them talking. Thankfully they avoided that crisis. The Princess cleared her throat before answering the personal guard. "Ahh yes, Elsa had to step out for a moment but will be back in no time, could please tell the King she's on her way?" Hector nodded and disappeared into the crowd making Anna once again sighed in relief. Getting over her scare she pushed her way through the mass of bodies on the dance floor looking for a certain someone. It took a few minutes but she finally found that mop of brown hair talking to a woman off to the side.

Seeing Edward with another woman made her teeth grind but she controlled herself and skipped over to them with her usual bubbly smile on her face. As she got close to them, she couldn't help but _accidentally _bumping into the young man with her hip and cause him to lose balance and drop his conversation with the woman he was talking to.

"Hey Edward I've been looking all over _for you_." The bubbly smile on her face and tone matched a happy Anna but the young man knew better. He turned to the woman he was talking to and bowed to her before being pulled away by the redhead. Edward just couldn't seem to catch a break with the Princess, recently every time he's seen her she was pissed at him. Keeping a grip on her hand as the small woman pushed through the crowd at surprising speed they found themselves at a balcony door. Anna let go of the young man and crossed her arms with an irritated expression.

"Alright what did I do now?"

"For once, nothing. Right now you're completely free from any wrongdoing."

"Then what's with the look?"

"I just wanted to know, when Elsa said that she wanted to remain friends, how did you feel?"

Edward huffed as he looked around him to make sure no one was close enough to hear what he was saying before leaning in to talk to the redhead. He was well aware that if the wrong people heard this conversation, life would get very difficult for Elsa, he didn't need that on his conscious as well.

"You know, you can't solve all your sister's problems right, she has to make her own decisions."

"I do know that, which is why I'm not going to do anything. I'm just curious on what will you do. I know you two agreed to stay friends but honest, is that really what you want? Does it not bother you that Elsa could be swept off her feet at _any _moment to any guy who would want her not for her personality but for material gain. What if someone like Hector got to her before you did, how would you feel then?"

"Honestly, I'd probably kill him, and that's precisely why we need to be strictly friends. I need to be able to control myself and pining after Elsa while not being able to say that she's already spoken for would be hell. Why would I do that to myself?"

"You're right, it does sound like hell. It sounds hard, harder than anything anyone would ever do for someone else. The question I want to know is, _is it too hard for you to do it for her?" _

Edward closed his mouth and ran the question in his mind over and over thinking on how to answer. Unknownest to him, Elsa was listening through the balcony door and held breath waiting for his answer.

"...a lot of bad things could happen to her if one thing goes wrong…"

"They could and knowing our luck they probably will. That's why it's important to remember why you started this in the first place."

"This feeling I have might not even be love."

"Are you willing to risk not knowing?"

He didn't, he really _really _didn't. He wanted to let his feelings for Elsa grow and feel that perfect moment he had with her on that clocktower. What Anna proposed what dangerous and would be difficult going forward. If he wanted Elsa, he'd have to maintain enough control to not lose himself in his rage.

His mind stopped.

If he wanted Elsa, he couldn't lose himself to Wrath.

His resolve may be weak, he may have been just a puppet, but when those words crossed his mind, it cleared. He wanted to be with Elsa, she had accepted the monster that was him with open arms and a warm smile. He wanted to protect her in any capacity he could. He thought it was hell to stay silent and watch her entertain suitors, that wasn't hell.

Hell for him was those moments after he asked her if those bandits raped her. When he burst into that room and saw them holding her naked body, that was hell right then right there. As time passed since his talk with Wrath, he came to realize that, he felt no remorse for what he did. He'd gladly tear them apart limb from limb if someone had stripped her naked and intended to defile her in such a way. Whether they be man, soldier, commoner, noble, or King, he'd still make them feel his wrath. The predator was right, he was in control that night, the next day too when he fought Envy. His abilities had waned due to his subtle worry since Ahimoth was close by.

He would always have regret over his actions but he told himself that he would get control for her. And he would, come hell or high water, he would. Edward couldn't stop himself from chuckling and looking down at the redhead in front of him. She had a way to get him to pull his head out of his ass

"Alright Anna, I'll speak to Elsa later after the ball."

"Good." The Princess turned away and was about to walk toward the door when the young man grabbed her arm.

"You're not curious on what I decided?"

"No, like you said, I can't solve all my sister's problems. I'd like to but I know she'll need more than me in life. Elsa is a lot stronger than she gives herself credit for and she doesn't need to be saved, she'll hit every problem she comes across with her usual way and get through it one way or another. Would it be nice if she took it easy and let others in to help, it'd be great but I can't be the only one she lets in. Maybe you two aren't meant for one another, I understand love is a foreign concept to you and that all you might be feeling is gratitude for all she's done for you. I'm not saying that both of your feelings will go away when you explore then, but I'm just warning you how hard things will be if you go down that road. I'm not going to sugarcoat it, you'll have to keep your cool with an essentially endless stream of proposals from men wanting my sister. It may seem hard but you'll have to trust that she only has eyes for you and that she can take care of herself, the same way Kristoff did before he proposed to me. I want you to really ask yourself what you want and if that's my sister then I suggest you be ready to fight for her because she's more than worth that."

If he wasn't impressed with Anna's intelligence before, he was now. The woman may not have the factual knowhow of running a kingdom but she sure knew how to look into the human heart. He'd have to make sure that he bought her a box of chocolates later in gratitude. As he let go of her and she walked to the balcony door she looked back with a smirk on her face.

"Now you can go back to that woman you were dancing with if you like but I just wanted to tell you that Elsa's birthday is tomorrow."

The smile on the young man's face was wiped off with a stunned expression as the redhead quickly shut the door leaving him by himself.

_Elsa's birthday was tomorrow?! Why didn't anyone tell me?! I need to get her a gift!_

The young man quickly decided that he had done what the Captain had asked of him. He mingled with a few guests, danced, and answered some none sensitive questions about his new job as the instructor for the Arendelle guard. It was pretty dark outside but there were still some shops bound to be open at this time, hopefully he would be able to find a gift before tomorrow. As he shuffled through the crowd, he was almost to the doors when a heavy hand grabbed his shoulder. Normally he would've shrugged it off and continued on his way but remembering where he was, Edward turned around and was about to explain to whoever grabbed him he had somewhere to be but his voice died when he realized who was behind him.

An older man with short cropped blonde hair bearing a few faint scars on his face and emerald green eyes stared down on him. His face was cleanly shaven and he was wearing an ornate coat that had Blackdust's sigil on the shoulder. The founder and first Commander of the Mystic Guard and current King of Blackdust, Alrick the Mystic.

"So you're Edward, Ahimoth was right, you look quite different from Rahim, especially with that smile on your face when you talked to that woman a minute ago. Please indulge me, I'm curious, am I speaking to Rahim or am I speaking to Wrath?"

* * *

Anna had walked through the balcony door where Elsa was trying to look like she hadn't been eavesdropping on the conversation just outside the door. Unfortunately her sister saw right through her and fixed her with an amused look.

"Looks like you have a date tonight."

The blonde nervously tucked a strand behind her ear before responding with raising her arms to her side and letting them down.

"I guess I do."

"Remember Elsa, Edward was right. I can't solve all your problems, there's going to be some things you're gonna have to figure out for yourself. You were the one who wanted to keep Edward at a respectful distance away but now you can't handle it. That little episode a while ago shows that you two need to have an honest talk, one where you two can air out your true feelings. Whatever comes after that talk is up to you two, me and Kristoff will try to help but it's ultimately not up to us."

The blonde nodded her head in understanding. She wanted to think out what she was going to say later but remembered that tonight was about feeling and not thinking so she tried to keep her mind blank. There was one thing that weighed on her mind though.

"Anna did you happen to see Hector in there, he might still be looking for me as we speak."

The redhead's eyes widened as she seemed to just remember something. Hector said the _King of Blackdust _was here and wanted to speak with Elsa. She didn't pay too much attention because most monarch's wanted to speak with her sister but she remembered that Edward came from Blackdust and was still considered a traitor. Even though Prince Ahimoth banished him from the kingdom, the King might've felt that a more severe punishment was necessary.

"Elsa! The King of Blackdust is here and _so is Edward!" _

The blonde's eyes widened as she clearly grasped the gravity of the situation and rushed back into the ballroom looking for Blackdust's sigil on any of the guests. Anna had decided to try and find Hector who knew what the King looked like so that they could intercept the man before he caught up with Edward. The personal guard wasn't too hard to find as he stood on the dais waiting for Elsa to return. As much as she disliked the man, she needed his help to find the King.

Anna quickly told the guard that Elsa needed to speak with the King urgently but couldn't find him so she was hoping he'd lead them to the man. Hector nodded and gave the redhead a brief description of the King before joining her in her search for both the King and Elsa.

_Short blonde hair, green eyes, scars on face. _

Anna scanned high and low for anyone matching that description but came up with nothing. As the two of them searched, they found Elsa talking with one of the guards manning the front entrance to the ballroom. The blonde quickly thanked the guard and turned to face her sister and personal guard with a worried expression.

"It seems that the King of Blackdust stepped out to talk with Edward."

* * *

Outside the two men walked next to one another without either of them saying a word. The young man chanced a few nervous glances at the King who kept his eyes straight ahead as they took the route that led toward the garden. Upon arriving there, Alrick took in the beauty of the scenery before plopping himself down on a bench with a content smile on his face.

Edward chose to remain standing and well out of the older man's reach. Even though his senses were diminished, he was focusing heavily on the King in front of him waiting for the tiniest spark to give him a warning of an attack. In the young man's mind however, he wondered if it would really help. Alrick was a master at suppressing his emotions to keep a level head that saw him through many battles.

If his old Commander wished to strike, there would be little warning.

"You can relax, I have no intention of fighting you."

The young man didn't take his eyes off the older man, the Commander had every right to want his head on a plate after destroying his troops and nearly killing his son. He expected anger from Ahimoth and from Alrick he expected a cold expression on his face as he remained poised and dangerous. However, the older man had a small smile on his face as he looked upon Edward, as if he was remembering something from long ago.

"Ahimoth already explained everything and to be honest it matches up with some thoughts I've been having for some time. I know that Rahim wasn't the one who betrayed the Mystic Guard. That monster that Talib created, Wrath, did that after taking over the body. I am also aware that you harbored guilt for those actions and faced my son befitting a member of the Mystic Guard. You were willing to admit to your mistakes and accept your punishment. While I personally believe that banishment was uncalled for, I can understand why my son made that call and will not revoke it. Despite you not being the one who committed those crimes, the kingdom recognizes you as the one who did. Thus the council who now shares as much power as I do would most certainly want your head if you ever came back to Blackdust."

Edward slightly relaxed when he heard that the Commander knew of the situation and felt he didn't betray his brothers that fought alongside him. However, he was still a little dismayed that his banishment would remain unchanged.

"It's nice to know you feel that way Your Majesty."

The two fell silent as they sat in the gardens, just enjoying the silence it brought. The young man wanted to ask the King about his brother but was cut off when the older man spoke.

"How's Wrath?"

That question sent a brief gust of emotions surging through Edward, the demon was still a sore subject for him but he was learning to live with it. It was nice that the King blamed Wrath for the slaughter and not him however there was a chance they were one in the same. If what Grand Pabbie was true and they were the same soul then the young man wondered how Ahimoth and Alrick would react.

He'd wager they'd probably kill him if he said 'I am Wrath.'

"Wrath has been...cooperative. It has let me use a fraction of its abilities to stay alive while letting me have control over my body. I have no idea how long this arrangement will last but I hope to be able to suppress Wrath when that timeline runs out."

"So you're saying Wrath is conscious right now, like its aware of what I'm saying?"

The young man nodded and watch his old Commander's face scrunch up in a pensive expression at the new information. It seemed like there were things he wanted to ask but wondered how to phrase it so the demon wouldn't catch on to their true meaning. The King briefly thought about using coded messages to communicate but remembered that his son had said Wrath had Rahim's memories, so it would know exactly what he was trying to hide.

Essentially whatever Edward knew, Wrath did as well.

That was not ideal, Alrick wanted to probe his old subordinate for information about Father but if Wrath was on the mysterious person's side then it would likely interfere. As he thought of this Edward could see the look that crossed the man's face and could easily guess what the man was thinking.

"You can just say it Your Majesty. Wrath won't tell Father anything unless my will is weaker than its when that timeline runs out. So for the moment, it won't interfere with anything that could potentially be used against Father."

The King looked at Edward with a calculating stare for a moment, probably now considering the possibility that Wrath right now was using Edward to get information for Father. He looked into the young man's eyes and noticed that they were still the same shade of blue that he back when his skin and hair were different. Ahimoth had said that whenever Edward would use his abilities that his eyes would turn red, Alrick came up with multiple theories after remembering that Pride also had red eyes and after reading the many research notes left behind by Talib.

He theorized that when their eyes were red then they were exposing themselves to the demon that inhabited that particular body. That helped explained why he never saw Pride be injured, even after getting hit with Lilian's fireball, the man remained in perfect condition. The only damage he sustained was to his clothes, Ahimoth had said that both Edward and Envy couldn't heal while using their abilities. So if Pride was hit with a fireball and remained without a scratch then he must've had some ability that negated damage to his body somehow but didn't extend to his clothes. If his theory was correct then Pride and Envy both were constantly exposing themselves to the demons in their body but with Edward having his original eye color, he might not have been affected.

He also considered that he might be wrong and Wrath had a firm grip on the young man but then he doubted the demon would've allowed Edward to help Ahimoth fight Envy after it failed to kill his son before. Rolling the dice, the King cleared his throat before speaking.

"During the civil war after I killed Rakat and his army retreated you went with them right?"

The young man nodded.

"DId Father order you to go with them?"

He received another nod.

"So you have an idea where they are?"

"I've got a vague one. I wanted to tell Ahimoth before he left but Wrath made sure the thought never crossed my mind when we talked. I don't know if it did that to see how much control it had over me or to keep me from endangering Father's forces but now my mind is clear and I can tell you where the last place I left most of Rakat's factions."

"You can do more than that, how about you help our kingdom by finding the last of Rakat's army and putting them down? If you help us eliminate the threat to our kingdom, I can convince the council you were a spy and because of you we ended Rakat's army. That would make you a war hero and clear your name of being a traitor, you could return home."

Edward froze as he heard his old Commander's words. He wanted the young man to hunt down the very men he helped escape that had killed scores of innocent people and forced him to run for weeks in fear. The idea of revenge was appealing but Stonewell's words rang in his head. Revenge was a fool's dream, he had sought it his whole life and ended up with more regret and guilt he hardly knew how to deal with. Chasing revenge again might lead to even more disastrous result, there was also the fact that he had to remain in Arendelle to turn the guards into soldiers. They still had a long way to go and if he left then he doubted Stonewell would be able to train them in an effective amount of time.

"I appreciate the offer but I have responsibilities here Your Majesty. The royal family has done much for me and I owe them a debt, I can tell you where you're likely to find the remnant factions but I must remain here until I've absolved my debt."

"Surely you rescuing the Queen more than absolves any debt that they could possibly have over you."

"It's more than that, ever since I was a child, I've been pushing away my human emotions to become better and stronger for the sake of my goals. My mind had no peace, just a constant stream of anger and rage directed toward the monster that ruined my life. After getting my revenge, I literally became the very thing I hated and was the cause of my comrades who fought beside me. I've spent a long time tormenting myself and reliving the hellish nightmare that is my past. However after coming here, I've finally found a semblance of peace. When I'm here, I can finally feel human again. These people offered me a home when I destroyed mine and given me support when I had no one, despite what the royal family says, I can never repay that debt but I can do my best to try."

The King listened to the young man with a neutral expression on his face. He would very well understand the desire for peace that Edward had, he himself wanted that for his kingdom but knew to get that peace he needed to fight for it. Rakat's army was a credible threat to Blackdust and forced him to have all trade routes monitored for their return. The latest attack on the kingdom showed that they were still vulnerable and needed to neutralize the threat. Pride had done most of the work hunting them down but Alrick knew that Rakat's army numbered in the thousands. The Open Arms Pact, was made to counter this and restore their military but based on their current numbers they were still outnumbered three to one. The massacre of the Mystic Guard's families had more men turning against Rakat feeling that the King had crossed a line but a majority of the old King's force was comprised of bloodthirsty warriors who lived only to fight and kill.

Alrick needed them dealt with as soon as possible. Edward would be a welcomed asset to be sure but the King understood his position. Unfortunately he had a feeling that the young man wouldn't be able to enjoy his peace, Wrath was still inside him and would drag him back into the fight. What Alrick wanted to know, was who would fight for who.

Would Wrath fight for Father or would Edward fight for Blackdust?

"Listen I get what you're saying but be honest with me, do you really believe Wrath will let you have peace? You yourself said that you have an unknown timetable when the arrangement you have right now will come to an end. I get the appeal of spending it in peace and wouldn't blame you for doing so, but wouldn't you rather use the limited time you have to help atone for the things Wrath had done? Plus its safe to assume Rakat was in league with this Father person. If you help us eliminate them then we might be able to find this Father person and kill him before he can order Wrath to take you over again."

The King made a valid point, he longed to be somehow be able to make up for what he did in the past.

However he _just _decided he wanted to be with Elsa.

He told himself he'd get control for her and would protect her because she saw past the monster inside him. He knew it was selfish to want to spend his limited time in peace with the woman who meant more than he realized. He could always learn control while hunting down Rakat's army and he wanted to end Father for controlling him, but the blonde was still on his mind. The fact that someone had taken her from her castle and was close to raping her lingered in the back of his mind. Whenever he wanted to leave that thought stayed his hand, he didn't want her to be in that position _ever _again. If he was there he'd do everything in his power to keep it from happening but knew that he was a danger all on his own. He at least wanted to ensure her guards could keep her safe before he left, maybe after that he could join Alrick's hunt for Rakat's army.

The question was, would there be enough time?

Would Wrath be willing to wait that long without interfering, would Rakat's army make a move on a kingdom that could result in many deaths, or would Father make his move on Elsa before he left?

Those questions plagued his mind, in any one of those scenarios there would be a massive loss of life that could be traced back to him. He didn't know if he could live with more innocent deaths on his conscious but if he was being honest, _deeply honest_.

The warmth he felt in Elsa's arms was still what he wanted most.

His brain told him that he should take the King's offer and make use of however much time he had.

His heart told him to make sure that Elsa understood how much she mattered to him and gamble that his feelings for her were strong enough to overcome the dangers he feared.

He was torn, he once again weighed his duty as a soldier and his desire to be a human again. Noble men would sacrifice their happiness for the sake of an entire kingdom, especially their home. Rahim wasn't a noble man, he was an avenger who lived to make Wrath pay, Edward on the other hand wanted to atone for the things he's done. Right now, Alrick was offering him atonement, the thing he should've wanted most but he was afraid to take it. He wanted to stay in Arendelle with Anna, Kristoff, Olaf, Stonewell, Klein, Mr. Jorgen…

...and Elsa.

Why did it seem that everytime he was close to feeling happy _something _always happened to take it away from him? Maybe it was divine punishment, that he would always be cursed to never be happy. He used to believe he could never be happy and that he should devote all of his time to ensuring Wrath wasn't the cause of more destruction but that one smile on that angel's face had him believing again.

He should say yes, he should sacrifice any choice of being happy and atone for his sins until the very end. That was a noble calling and he could get behind that but his heart and soul kept him from speaking the words.

He needed to speak with Elsa, perhaps for a final time.

"...I have to think about it Your Majesty…"

Not the answer he wanted but Alrick nodded. He wouldn't hold against whatever the young man decided, he would still get the remnant faction's locations and that was valuable information. He desired peace above all and regretted that he was asking a comrade to give up his just so the kingdom he was banished from could have it. The older man sat up and walked past Edward giving him a light tap on his shoulder before heading back to the ballroom, he still had something to discuss with Queen Elsa.

_And after, I can learn how much of a grip she has on Edward._

* * *

After a month of traveling Pride finally arrived in some unknown village, it was high in the north and was currently in a snowstorm. The people stayed indoors as he walked through town with his weapon on his shoulder. He doubted that Sloth would engage him in battle but his life had been one battle after another, if she stood in his way, then he'd crush her.

No matter how much she meant to him.

It was almost impossible to track another Sin since they had the ability to keep moving for an extended amount of time in harsh environments. Father might've been able to track any one of them at any given time since he could control their actions but Pride had no such ability. The only way he was able to track three of the Sins was because one of them wrote to him of their location every so often.

He never knew what went on in Sloth's head, not even before she was Sloth, he couldn't understand what went on behind her brown eyes. She had written him letters detailing where she traveled with Gluttony and Lust for the longest time as well as detailing where possible locations for remnants of Rakat's army.

If he didn't know better, he'd say she was sabotaging Father from the inside out but dismissed that theory since she was far too lazy to do so. There was also the fact that among all the Sins, she had been with Talib the longest. He had seen her with his father many times, even when they were growing up. Rahim may not have remembered the young girl in their father's lab but he did.

Shahbaz wondered how she could put up with his father for so long before he just wrote her off as a head case. It wasn't until they had an actual conversation that made him reevaluate the young woman. She was smart, smarter than him if he was being honest. She learned much under his father and only wanted to learn more, Talib was pleased to have someone interested in learning from him and indulged her, that was probably why she got off so easy with him.

When he became Pride, she was the one and only person to know that Shahbaz had devoured the demon's soul rather than the other way around. That was the reason Father had no sway over him because his pride kept any outer influence from controlling him. Regardless, he took the name Pride and pronounced that Shahbaz was dead because he had no interest in looking toward the past, he was only interested in moving forward.

Pride kept his distance from Sloth, if she had become a Sin then she was likely under his control and the Sin was _slightly _hesitant to face the possibility that he might have to kill her if she stood in his way. However with Talib dead, she was the smartest person he could turn to to give him information. Hopefully she would see that fighting him was pointless but was prepared to fight her should she choose to resist him.

"You haven't changed one bit, that frown on your face is such a waste of effort."

The Sin turned to see a woman sitting on a chair outside a closed diner. She was wearing a snow white coat that he'd seen her wear whenever she was experimenting with his father. Her black stocking legs coming out of her white skirt were crossed with her reading some book in her hand. Her raven colored hair was pinned back in a bun with two stick like objects as her eyes were hidden behind her simple glasses.

"I could say the same, you always had your head in a book, ignoring the world around you almost constantly."

The woman laughed as she closed her book and turned out of her seat to face the man.

"Well there are some things that can grab my attention. You've been quite the busy body, traveling all over and killing Rakat's army left and right, Father has grown quite irritated of your activities. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were provoking him to come find you, but that'd be a mistake considering he made you."

"I don't fear Father, he can't control me."

Sloth took a step forward and caressed his tan cheek with her hand while gazing into his blood red eyes that watched her like a hawk.

"Pride always comes before a fall. The question is, will it be Father's or yours?"

"Where is he Sloth?"

"He's here in this village."

Pride narrowed his eyes as he briefly considered the possibility that Sloth was lying to him but remembered that it would be too much effort on her part to lie. If she was lying, he would find her and kill her and he didn't see her fighting unless Father ordered her to.

"Then take me to him."

"And what if I don't feel like it?"

"Then I'll make you feel like it."

The two held each other's stares for the longest time.

She could see Pride's hand on his swordspear beginning to twitch in preparation of what could happen. He could see her pale white silk skin on her face not wrinkling in worry at all. He waited for her to make the first move before he struck but was surprised to feel her lips against his before backing away and turning around.

"This way."

She began to walk without even looking behind her to see if he followed. Pride remained where he was for a moment before following. He didn't know if he was walking into a trap or not but he'd face it like he did everything, head on and without fear. However in the back of his mind, one thing bothered him and kept him from having absolute focus.

The last time he saw Sloth, she had tan skin and red eyes like his, how had she returned to what Mary looked like back when she was a human?

* * *

**Hey guys new chapter sorry for the long wait, work sucks and honestly I haven't been able to do anything. As soon as I get home I hit my bed and wake up the next morning with only like an hour or two before needing to go to work. Hopefully I'll be able to get some time off next week, I should but idk. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, it was supposed to be done last week, hell it was 3k words from being done and I could've knocked it out if I had a significant amount of time to myself but things happen you know. Hopefully I can crank out another update soon, I already have the basic outline of what will be covered in the next two chapters. Drop a review or pm if you want to reach out to me. Have a nice one. **


	25. Chapter 25

**This next chapter is a shoutout to Loveisanopenfridge for the excellent review that really made my day when I read it.**

* * *

Sloth and Pride had walked to the outskirts of the village and up the nearby mountain ignoring the snowstorm that raged around them. For any other human they would likely wait it out but for the two Sins, it was like strolling in the rain. The pale skin woman still hadn't looked back to see if the man was following her, she just kept her eyes forward as they made it to a cave. She walked in while Pride stopped and looked back down the path they came up.

They were quite a distance from the village but it was still visible, as they walked up the path, he looked around for any sign of people. The only sign was a single set of footprints that they followed that hadn't been completely covered in snow by the time they're. That meant that someone had walked this path before they did fairly recently given the state of the snowstorm. If Sloth was leading him to an ambush then she would surely need more than just herself to defeat him unless she had another Sin waiting for him in the cave.

Pride hadn't had many personal interactions with the others Sins besides Sloth due to him being sent away by Asger before the civil war. He knew she had the ability to make phantom like beings to do any and all work so that she wouldn't have to exert herself. From what he could remember they weren't very physically fearsome, what made them so dangerous was the fact that they weren't alive thus had no limits. They could very well travel around the world is Sloth wanted one to and it would continue to do so unless told otherwise. They weren't that strong as they struggled to lift something that was too heavy for an average human.

The final aspect that made them in his opinion troublesome was that anything they saw or heard, so did Sloth.

If she sent her phantoms after him it would be a simple matter to repel them if he saw them coming, but ultimately pointless unless he took her out. So far she hadn't reacted in a way to suggest she was nervous at all with him following her which would normally make him think that perhaps she wasn't leading him to a trap. However with father concerned, the man couldn't be sure. After watching her form begin to fade into the darkness of the cave, Pride let his weapon hang at his side before going into the cave keeping her in his line of sight at all times.

As they descended deeper and deeper into the cave, Pride could see other pathways inside that seemed to go on for quite a distance. While eyeing the woman in front of him, the man dipped his swordspear into the ground and began to drag the tip along it creating a line of where he walked. In case things got too hectic, he would know how to get out if Sloth decided against helping him. Finally after a few winds and turns the woman stopped in front of a single tunnel before turning back to face the man. Pride raised an eyebrow as she stepped to the side and pointed down the tunnel.

"You will find Father in the cavern at the end of this tunnel. Before you ask, no I will not be accompanying you. I have no intention of getting in between the dispute between the two of you. I'm going to head back to the village and finish my reading, I highly suggest you join me but if you don't then that's up to you."

"How do I know it's not a trap?"

"Do you really think I'd go through the effort of leading you all the way here to trap you instead of giving you exactly what you wanted so you'd have no reason to make me waste more effort?"

Pride said nothing and fixed her with an unbelieving stare that made her huff.

"Father can kill you by himself without my help, why you fill this need to prove yourself to him baffles me…"

"**I don't need to prove myself to anyone!**"

Sloth closed her mouth when she heard the shout come from the so far composed man. Inwardly she cursed herself for her words, she knew Pride and how much it hurt his namesake whenever someone doubted the skills he obtained throughout his early life. Before he became a Sin, his life was a living hell that no one could expect a child to remain sane in. She remembered Talib once commenting on how his older son killed his instructor because the man suggested that he wasn't living up to the expectations placed on him.

That he wasn't as strong as he believed, and that all his suffering was for nothing.

The man couldn't be any older than eight when they brought him into their workshop with blood covering his fingertips. That was one of the first times Mary saw Shahbaz's eyes resemble a demon while he was still a human. The years after that, even after his little brother coming to live with him and his father, the boy got worse. His temper and arrogance grew to the point where Talib had to personally oversee Shahbaz's more advanced lessons to ensure the boy remained in control.

When he reached his teens, the man learned how to control himself and his arrogance was his most dominant trait. He wouldn't mindlessly slaughter but he'd demolish other people's pride while bolstering his. However there was one thing that could shatter the persona Shahbaz put on for the outside world. One thing that revealed the demon inside the human.

That he could never prove himself to be as strong as Talib said he'd be.

All his life he trained and suffered in pursuit of proving himself to be the best in everything that had to do with combat. The boy was a genius when it came to battle, he thrived on facing tougher opponents but it wasn't enough for his father. Talib always pushed for more and more, saying that when Shahbaz ever considered he couldn't do something, he was being weak. That would lead to harsh punishments that the boy took without a whimper to prove that he was strong. He even endured all of that while taking care of his brother who was five years younger than him and tried giving him the love neither of the boys received growing up.

Shahbaz was all about proving himself to be the best there ever was.

Pride was supposed to be the King, the one that was unquestioned in its seat of power above the other Sins.

As Sloth she shouldn't question him or insinuate that he was still trying to prove himself even after gaining all his power. However Mary knew Shahbaz, she was one of the reasons he remained sane. She knew that if he faced Father then the outcome wouldn't be favorable but she had her orders, she was to bring him here and not interfere. Her face may have been passive and expressionless due to her not expending the effort to show her emotions but her mind was ablaze. She had envisioned ten different things that would happen if he went into the cavern.

And all of them ended up with him joining Envy in the altar.

"I apologize, I didn't mean to say that. I just would like to point out there's a reason why he is the Father of all Sins, and you're just one of the seven. I won't stop you but I highly suggest you reconsider your current course of action, contrary to what you believe, Father still has a hold over you, one he will likely use if you confront him as you are doing right now. I've watched you, your reasoning for doing this isn't worth the effort. You can do anything you want, why risk everything you've gained for something so trivial?"

Pride's outburst had him breathing hard as he reined in his urge to strangle to woman in front of him. Had it been anyone else, he would've snapped their necks at being questioned, but an old part of him understood what she was saying. His memories from being a human defined him and pushed him forward in everything he did. He guessed her memories reminded her of what they used to have and she didn't seem keen on watching him supposedly throw his life away. However, his answer was one that told her why and kept him moving forward.

"Because this is my pride."

The man walked past her without another word as her face for a split moment showed regret on it before settling into her neutral mask and walked toward the exit. With Father and Pride about to meet, she didn't want to be anywhere around the two of them when they got to business. Dying was a pain and reviving oneself took way too much effort and getting caught in the crossfire between those two was a death sentence.

Pride walked into down the tunnel until he came upon an alter of some sort with seven stone pedestals at the base. The first thing the Sin noticed was the unnatural green flame that flickered in one of the pedestals. The second was a man hunched over kneeling to the mural, a very familiar looking mace off to his side.

"It's been a long time, kid. You were my best soldier and now you're destroying my army, most would be furious or feeling betrayed. Me? I'm not surprised in the slightest, you were a killer before I took you in and I knew I was creating a monster when I trained you. The question I would like answered is why you would bow to that pathetic excuse of a warrior, Alrick, rather than take Blackdust for yourself and be a King?"

Pride's hand tightened on his weapon as the man began to rise to his feet using his mace as a support. Sloth had lied to him, this man couldn't be Father but he could forget about that at the moment. After all, Pride finally managed to catch up to one of the top names on his hit list. The man watched as Asger the Crusher turned around with a smile on his wrinkled face as he leaned on his mace eyeing his old Lieutenant.

"I bow to no one, I do what I want whenever I want. I tolerate Alrick because his pride for his kingdom is refreshing and he killed the last King in combat. I can't tolerate someone who left and didn't defend his title, someone who always preached about how powerful they were in battle, only to disappear when it starts like a coward. Today, I erase the stain of my pride of being trained by Asger the Crusher, the coward who was supposed to be the second best in all the kingdom, but was nowhere to be found to prove it."

The old man couldn't help but chuckle as he pushed off his mace and took a few steps forward past the pedestals and three meters away from the Sin.

"There were some things I had to attend to that required my attention for these last few years. Plans that I am finally able to put in motion, but you've become a credible threat to my plans. I tried ordering you to stop and told Greed to not interfere with you because I hoped, you'd come to your senses and listen to your Father. But I was wrong, time and time again, you've defied me, ironically it's my fault, you _are _my pride, I can't expect you to accept orders like a dog. Now I'm forced to..._educate_ you as to why you should listen to your Father. Envy was incapable of learning his lesson, I hope some discipline is all you require to get back on track."

The old man's face turned from an easy smile to an unamused expression as he lifted his mace and put it on his shoulder. Pride cracked his neck before raising his swordspear to the side and fixing Asger with a homicidal stare.

"I would like to see you try."

Toward the entrance of the cave Sloth almost bumped into a man flipping through some pages in a book as he briskly walked past her. She didn't need to guess where the man was going, Pride's battle was likely going to begin soon. He needed to get there to help educate the Sin, not unlike the way he did to punish Shahbaz and Rahim when they were children.

Talib of the Tainted Wisdom always liked having someone to teach.

* * *

The ball was still in full swing, the guests were still talking and dancing with each other having a good time. Unfortunately the Arendelle royal family had their minds burdened by the news that the King of Blackdust was speaking with a pronounced traitor of his kingdom. When Elsa heard that the two of them stepped out, she was about to go out herself to look for them but was pulled away by Kai who said two more dignitaries needed to speak with her urgently.

The blonde wanted to refuse and tell the man she'd be back shortly but Anna had convinced her that she would look and that the Queen could join her later. Elsa flashed her sister an appreciative smile before being hauled away by Kai as the redhead was out in the courtyard looking around for any sign of the two men. She questioned the guards to see if anyone of them had seen Edward or the King, only to be told no until she found Klein who pointed her toward the garden.

As she turned the corner to get on the path to the garden, she was face to face with an older man who looked down at her with predatory green eyes for a second before they softened.

"Good evening my lady, what seems to have you in a rush this fine evening?"

Anna curtsied and was about to reply when she got a good look at the man's face. The scars on his face weren't disfiguring but were easily visible despite being so faint against his pale skin and short blonde hair.

_Short blonde hair, green eyes, scars on face. _

Her eyes looked over to the symbol on the man's shoulder and could easily see Blackdust's symbol sewn onto the sleeve. It didn't take much brain power to realize that she was speaking to the King of Blackdust. The redhead quickly glanced around for Edward who Klein said was with the King and upon finding he was nowhere around, her eyes shot back up to the older man who chuckled as he observed her.

"Please, don't look so alarmed. It was an honest question as you seemed to be in a rush, if my presence bothers you, I will be out of your hair on your word."

"Oh no, you didn't do anything wrong, I'm just looking for a friend of mine. I was told he went this way but I haven't been able to find him."

"Ahh, well I would be happy to assist you in finding your friend but alas I need to speak with the Queen immediately, you wouldn't happen to know where she is?"

Anna pointed back inside the ball where Alrick slightly bowed his head as he walked past with an easy smile on his face. She watched him a few more moments until he disappeared back into the ballroom and she went toward the garden. It didn't take long to find Edward hunched over a bench wringing his fingers and staring out into space. He didn't even notice her until she sat down next to him and put a hand on his shoulder to let him know she was there.

"Are you ok, did he say anything to you?"

The young man took a deep breath before exhaling and facing the redhead with a pensive expression, like he wondered what he should say.

"He just gave me something to think about, it's nothing bad but it's weighing heavily on my mind."

"What is it?"

"Nothing that can't wait until later, for now I want to focus on getting that birthday gift for Elsa. You know, a little warning ahead of time would've been appreciated."

"Elsa likes keeping her birthday small and with everything going on, it kinda slipped my mind that you didn't know her birthday was coming up."

Edward let out an exaggerated exhale as he rocked his feet a bit before standing up with a grunt of exertion.

"Well now I know and have little time to waste, I guess I can speak to Elsa another time." The young man turned to leave to look for a gift but was stopped by the redhead grabbing his arm. He turned back to see Anna's smile at the thought of how he wanted to get her sister a gift as soon as possible but in the back of her mind, she knew that Elsa wanted to talk later tonight.

"You can get her a gift tomorrow, the shops are all about to close right now and Elsa will be tied up with summit talks to notice you disappearing for a day. She however _will _notice you leaving the ball, _especially _after she saw you dancing with that girl from earlier."

Edward inwardly cringed when he thought about how he didn't notice Elsa watching him in the ballroom. He was still under the impression that they should remain friends and didn't deny the woman a dance because he felt it would've seemed rude. She was however quite pleasant to be around, he found out her name was Wilona and that she was a noble's daughter. They talked a bit about what he did in Arendelle and some of her experiences traveling outside the kingdom. It was a nice talk but in the back of his head, he couldn't help but wish it was Elsa who he was speaking to. Anna was right, his absence would most likely be noticed and despite how much he really didn't want to, he needed to stay so he could talk to Elsa afterward.

"She wasn't...upset...when you spoke to her right?"

The redhead gave him a shrug before pulling him toward the ballroom.

"That's up to you to find out lady killer."

* * *

The two dignitaries happened to be from the Northern Isle who had some concerns that they wished to convey to Elsa before the summit tomorrow. Apparently there have been massive troop movement from Arendelle's previous trading partner Weselton toward the southern region. The two dignitaries couldn't say if they were heading toward Arendelle but couldn't help but press how many soldiers were moving.

Elsa thanked them for telling her and said she would think on it and have a response by tomorrow as she walked away. Hector as always remained silent as he fell in step behind her until she made it back to the dais and projected herself to be a overwatching host while in her mind she thought about what Weselton could be doing. It had been two years since she cut off trade with them and she knew had kept tabs on them to make sure they weren't gearing up for an invasion.

The Northern Isles were one of the kingdoms allied with her that kept an eye on them and was sure to interfere if they were making an invasion plan for Arendelle. However Weselton was only reported to be moving south, Arendelle was to the southeast of them. Any heavy troop movement through the land put other kingdoms on edge, and with Weselton's less than flattering reputation she was on edge as well. She hoped that they wouldn't find any other kingdoms who felt that Arendelle was a good target to invade.

Strategically speaking, her kingdom wasn't large and had a small military. They were a trade nexus where multiple kingdoms went through her for trade which made her economy go up. Plus her capitol was on the water while being surrounded by mountains which made an attack on the capitol quite difficult unless one comes by sea. There was almost no benefit to invade her kingdom, the only thing special about Arendelle was _her. _

Having a monarch capable of creating snowstorms with a flick of her hands and living beings with ease painted her to be a devastating weapon. She would always err on the side of peace and defaulted to negotiation to prove to others she was no threat but her power preceded her reputation. Even though she had plenty of allies, she also had plenty of kingdoms who wanted nothing to do with her, saying that a single young woman wasn't fit to rule.

Especially one with ice powers.

She had hoped that she could make her kingdom as unappealing as a target as possible but she still had nightmares of waking up one day with ships on the horizon screaming for the witch's head on a stick.

"_Humans generally don't welcome things that they do not understand, some may embrace the unknown while others view it as a threat._"

Edward's words when they first met rang in her mind and she couldn't help but agree. She always had to put on a front that she was a regal and perfect Queen who was in complete control of her powers and would never use them. That's what all her allies expected from her and that's what she gave them last year and hopefully this one. In reality, she was a reserved child at heart that could be mature when the time came for it and had to watch herself every once in a while to keep her power under control.

All she had to do was hold out for tonight and tomorrow, if she could get past the ball then the summit then she was home free to pretend to be too busy to play hostess for the other kingdoms. Tonight was almost over, with the band going through their last couple songs and the hour becoming late, she wouldn't have to wait too long until she could retire. She would speak with her southern allies tomorrow to see where the large amount of soldiers stopped at to eliminate the fear of invasion from her mind.

She considered asking another prince from the Southern Isles who actually attended the Gathering to see if he had heard anything but according to Kai, Prince Albert hasn't been seen yet. Their ship was still sitting in the harbor, and their guards remained on the ship but so far there hadn't been any sign of royalty. It didn't really matter to her, while she didn't hold a grudge against the entire kingdom for one Prince, she wasn't eager to see if that one bad apple didn't fall too far from the other twelve.

Elsa scanned her eyes around the room, hoping to see any sign of Anna or Edward in the crowd. She told her sister she would join her after speaking with the two dignitaries but with the news of the Weselton troops on the move, she was ready for tonight to end. Unfortunately she couldn't pick out either of them but she could see the crowd parting for an older man who was making his way toward the dais. She couldn't see his face in the sea of people but could pick out the short blond hair on his head as he was of average height. When he broke through the masses and stood before her, did her breath hitch.

King Alrick of Blackdust, bowed to her at the waist before flashing her an easy smile.

"Good evening Queen Elsa of Arendelle, I've really been looking forward to meeting you for some time. I can't thank you enough for your help in saving my kingdom, as well as inviting us to help you celebrate the Winter Solstice."

His words and gestures were impeccable compared to Ahimoth, Elsa couldn't see any cracks in his facade whatsoever. His eyes were unblinking and focused but remained relaxed to probably put her at ease. She had heard the stories as well as heard from Edward about the man in front of her, she was standing not ten feet away from the strongest man in Blackdust. She looked him over and couldn't help but expect him to be as large of a man as Ahimoth was and look a little more dangerous. However the only thing that stood out that suggested he was a warrior was the faint scars on his face, his build was completely average. Roughly the same height as Edward with a smaller build, it was hard to see him as someone who was better than the famed soldiers of Blackdust.

"No thanks is required Your Majesty, your son had done me a great service in his short time here and I couldn't thank him enough. As for your kingdom, who would I be if I allowed people to starve and die after a horrific civil war that lasted for five long years. Even if they aren't my own people, its common decency to show mercy to others in a less favorable position than you."

"You speak with wisdom that exceed your early years Your Majesty, if only more people could think like you, the loss of life around the world will significantly diminish. However this is hardly the place to talk about such grim matters, I just wanted to express my gratitude as well as my respect for you. In your short time on the throne, you've vastly improved the lives of your people in almost every way. That's inspiring to me as I am a new monarch, and I can easily confess that there have been times where both myself and my council feel I am not up to the task. In all honesty, I wish to model my kingdom after yours, peaceful and abundant with trade partners so we won't have to see any more unnecessary war."

"I thank you for the compliment and applaud your honesty as well as your intentions. Turning from war to peace is a hard yet rewarding endeavor, many should join you in your journey of embracing peace. I'm sure with time you will become a wonderful King for your people, after all, transitioning from the Commander of the Mystic Guard to King can't be that difficult."

Elsa's eyes focused on the man in front of her looking for any crack in his persona. She had seen a small sliver on Hans when Anna asked him if his brothers would stay with them that put more doubt in her mind. If she could see that small grimace on the perfect Prince's face she'd be able to see anything on the man in front of her. She expected that his mask would slip if she mentioned the Mystic Guard that had been wiped out by a man who was currently here and she knew he spoke with Edward. Depending on what kind of reaction she could get from him, she could see if this was his real persona or just a mask.

Surprisingly, nothing changed, his face didn't change at all, not in surprise or anger. His fingers didn't curl into his hand, the easy smile on his face didn't recede, not one wrinkle was added to his face, it was like her comment didn't register to him in the slightest.

"That's what I thought but alas, my council believe me to be more of a soldier than a King, which I can agree with. However, the fact that I've fought and bled for my kingdom shows that I love it and will do anything to protect it. The loss of my many comrades has given me a fresh perspective, you can never know what one is capable of. I am willing to step down from my throne if someone else is more fit to be King and loves Blackdust as much as I. Sometimes I wish that could be my son who has unfortunately lived in an environment where strength equated success. He's grown to be a fine man with room for improvement, he has brushed death too many times then I would like. I would like for him to live in a world where he can have happiness without having to fight for it, I would like my kingdom to live like that as well. That's why I've come here and wish to ask you a personal favor, I wish to speak to all the kingdoms you have gathered here, to present to them my dream as well as apologize for my kingdom's actions in the past. Hopefully they will see that I am sincere and are willing to welcome my home into this new era of peace. Would you please allow me this?"

The King bowed his head low with the request that to her sounded heartfelt. She could certainly see where he was coming from, Edward had given her brief recounts of the battles he's been in and she knew the man before her had seen more than the young man. She knew the burden war had put on her rescuer she could only imagine what war had done to this man in front of her. From the outside he looked unphased but she knew better than most it was the inside that really counted.

"Of course, everyone in attendance to the Gathering has a voice. I do hope you are successful in your endeavors."

"As do I Your Majesty."

Alrick raised his head and turned to walk back to the masses but stopped like something just occurred to him and he turned back around.

"I would also like to thank you for taking care of Edward. It was a sad day when I learned the young boy who was my son's best friend was no longer with us but it's nice to know he's alive and well here. He was such a grim man when I met first met him and it only worsened as time went on, I don't think I ever remember him smiling so much before seeing him here. I wonder why he's so happy here, do you happen to know?"

Elsa couldn't help the slight crack in her regal mask as her widened marginally at his words and tried to restore it before the man noticed. Unfortunately his eyes narrowed so very slightly that she almost thought she imagined it. She had thought she had mastered being able to put up a regal mask and could keep others from seeing any cracks her mask but it turned out the man in front of her had an extremely keen eye for detail.

"I wouldn't know, I would think asking Edward himself would give you that answer."

"You're right, perhaps before I leave, I can talk to him once again and we can reconnect just like the old days. I had hoped you could give me the answer and maybe I could convince him to come with me."

The blonde's response was quicker than it should have been but she couldn't stop herself.

"You can't expect me to let Edward voluntarily walk to his own execution after your banished him from your kingdom and said that if he took one step on your land he'd be killed."

"You're right, if he were to go to Blackdust, he would be executed on the spot. However, I don't plan on returning to my kingdom after leaving Arendelle, there are a few things that I would like to investigate and Edward would be a welcomed addition to my force should he come with."

"I already know you've spoken to him earlier and clearly you see the toll the last few years of his life has taken on him. Surely you can see that he is done with fighting and should be allowed to live his life peacefully."

"I can admit that, however, I can offer him something that you and Arendelle can't. He is burdened and guilty for his crimes that has taken a heavy toll on him. Sure he could live peacefully here, hoping to learn to live with the guilt, maybe one day he finally will but that takes time. _Time he may not have…_"

_He knows. _

Edward must've told him about Wrath. The woman's eyes slid over to Hector who was standing next to her watching the King for any sign of aggressive action toward his monarch. She wanted to keep the young man's inner battle a secret but here was someone else who knew about it and could tell her personal guard who already didn't hold Edward in the highest regards. She couldn't help but curse herself as she briefly remembered that she was the one who first revealed that the young man was banished and was originally from Blackdust. She also alluded to the fact he committed grievous enough crimes to warrant his execution in front of Hector.

She needed to send him away and make sure he didn't speak a word of this to anyone.

Before she could however, Alrick continued but she could tell he saw her eyes go over to her guard because slid over to the noble's way as well.

"I can offer him atonement and revoke his status so he may return home. Even though I wish for peace, there are those who do not and continue to threaten my kingdom, Edward can help me stop them. He's already agreed to tell me likely places on where they could be, I just asked him if he wished to join me in ensuring my kingdom's safety. You've done a lot for him and he feels that he needs to repay that debt first but I would like to ask you. What do you think he needs more; peace around him or peace in his mind?"

With that the King took his leave but not before giving Hector a brief look that Elsa wished she hadn't caught. His green eyes hardened for an instant and the blonde's mouth suddenly went dry. The look he gave was downright murderous, and it disappeared as soon as Hector registered it. It seems Alrick only wanted to give the guard a quick scare but Elsa knew better.

It was a warning.

It looked like he could tell from her expression that Edward's affairs weren't public knowledge so he wanted to warn Hector. She supposed he could've glared at her to intimidate her but he went back to an easy smile before leaving to return to the ball. She turned to her guard who she could see had some sweat going down the side of his head and she couldn't blame him. The blonde thought Zavis and Greed sent a shiver down her back, but that brief look made her whole body go ice cold.

She now understood how he was the King, she wasn't keen on seeing how skillful he was as a warrior if his eyes had that much bloodlust in them.

"Your Majesty?"

Elsa shook herself out of stupor as she turned to Kai who just arrived on the dais. He gave her a short bow before leaning over to whisper something in her ear. Apparently the band was about to play the last song of the night and as a Queen she was expected to lead it. The blonde wanted to say no that she didn't want to but was too late to stop him as the band finished off their song with a flourish and the room suddenly became silent with all of them looking toward her. Knowing it would be awkward if she didn't say anything, Elsa cleared her throat before speaking and offhandedly wished she could freeze Kai's trousers.

"I do hope you all have enjoyed the ball tonight and would like to thank you all for attending. Before we bring the night to a close, I invite everyone to enjoy one last dance before retiring."

As expected she could see quite a few young faces grow excited and tried making their way to the dais to ask for her hand to dance. It was their final chance to get a dance with the Queen and generally the ruling monarch always led the last dance. In her mind she was mentally preparing herself to just say yes to the first Prince who asked her so she could get it over with.

As the floodgates of young men seemed to have open, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening her eyes again…

...only to be staring at Edward who had his hand out to her with a small smile on his face.

"May I have this dance Your Majesty?"

She had looked past him to see that there were a few Princes rubbing their arms and a clear path of where the young man had come from. It seemed that Edward had simply pushed through all of them to make a beeline for her.

The Queen of Arendelle felt that that was uncalled for.

Elsa on the other hand couldn't help the flutter in her heart as she took his hand.

"You may."

* * *

Edward and Anna had made their way into the ballroom where the ball was beginning to wind down. The redhead could tell from the song that the last dance of the night was about to begin. She had to get the young man in position before the song ended. Anna remembered last year during the last dance Elsa was paired with an obnoxious Prince who wouldn't shut up about how beneficial it would be if they were to get married. He treated her like she was a prize to be won and didn't care to get to know her on a personal level.

Sure enough she could see Princes already attempting to push their way to the dais to get ready for the mad rush for the Queen's hand. As the Princess was about to join them, the young man she was pulling grabbed her arm then gently yet firmly pulled on it to make her stop.

"Alright Anna you've been dragging me and pushing around people like someone is dying, what's up?"

"You need to get to Elsa."

"Why, I'm meeting her later tonight anyway, what's the point of rushing?"

The redhead huffed and clenched her fingers like she wanted to wring his neck which honestly made him take a small step back when he looked into her frustrated blue eyes. She breathes through her nose for a few moments before addressing him.

"Every year at the end of the Winter Solstice Gathering ball, the Queen is expected to lead the last dance of the night. This song is the second to last song of the night and all the Princes here are trying to get as close as they can to ask her for the final dance. You need to get to her before any of them do because knowing Elsa, she'll accept the very first dance that is offered to her to get it over with."

"Ahh, well I still don't see why _I _should rush over to her. I'm not royalty or a noble, I doubt it would convey a good image if Elsa was caught dancing with…"

Edward's voice died in his throat when Anna's face began to turn beet red like she was holding in an explosion. Knowing the feisty redhead, she was and he seemed to be the target. Knowing it was better to do what she said instead of staying here and digging an even deeper grave, the young man made his way through the sea of men. At first he thought about just getting away from Anna and letting all the Princes just rush past him but when he heard an odd comment here or there were some of the men wondered how her cold skin would feel against theirs, the young man couldn't help but put more force into the light push he gave as he moved forward.

When the song ended and all the Princes seemed to surge forward, Edward decided he was done playing games. He easily made a path through all of them and was already up the dais before anyone could question how he got there so fast. The problem was when he got there and Elsa was still in the middle of taking a deep breath, he began to panic.

_Wait a minute, Elsa said she that she wanted to remain friends and I haven't talked to her about my feelings yet. She could very easily not have any desire to get closer to me anymore. Anna didn't exactly specify if she was upset because she still had feelings for me when I danced with another girl. I should just leave before Elsa opens her eyes, we can talk later tonight privately, last thing I need is people committing my face to memory because I danced with the Queen. _

Before the young man could chicken out, a _very odd _jerk from inside of him kept him rooted in his spot.

_Don't back out from what you want. _

Wrath had been quiet since their last meeting with Grand Pabbie, and Edward was very surprised to hear the demon more or less tell him to go for it with the woman that haunted his thoughts. Time seemed to slow down as the blonde's eyes began to open and the young man had no choice but to commit to what he was about to do and raised a hand before forcing out a small smile.

"May I have this dance Your Majesty?"

He watched her eyes flicker to the sea of men behind him and could tell that she knew he had been a little aggressive with the Princes. For a moment he expected her to scold him but to his great pleasure, a smile blossomed on her beautiful face and she took his hand.

"You may."

Turning around with her hand in his and facing the ballroom full of people that envious looks on their faces was one of the most gratifying feelings Edward had ever felt in his entire life. The masses parted as they approached until they reached the middle of the ballroom where the band started to play a slow song. The young man couldn't help but look around for Anna and give her a look that plainly said. 'Really?'

Turning back to Elsa who looked up at him with a small blush on her cheeks that were covered thanks to her light makeup, he hesitantly placed a hand on the small of her back where he could still feel the waves of stimuli through her dress that ran down his arm and through the rest of his body. The blonde likewise placed her hand on him and sent another ripple of feeling into his body that he couldn't help but shudder for a moment as the band began to play.

He planned on having his thoughts focused on making sure he did the dance correctly but he soon found himself completely lost in the woman's eyes. They made his mind go blank as everything around him fell into complete and utter darkness. There was no sound, no one else around, and no distractions from the woman in front of him.

She was all that was there in front of him and he didn't mind at all.

He melted into her touch as his feet carried him without thought. All he could think about was how Elsa's bare hand felt in his gloved hands and how it felt to trail his thumb down her spine. When she made a sound from the base of her throat due to his ministrations, it was thunderous to him. The sound sent a jolt of ripples throughout his body that he was ashamed to admit that it aroused him. Fortunately he was able to control his body to not let it show how much he enjoyed hearing that sound.

Unfortunately he longed to hear it more than a dehydrated man craved water.

Elsa on the other hand couldn't explain why his hands had so much _heat _to them while they danced. Even through his gloves she could feel it seep into her and made her head spin. She wanted nothing more than to curl up into this unnatural warmth and revel in it but was conscious enough to know people were around her.

It was when she felt his thumb trail down her spine, that her mind went blank and she had to focus on stopping the moan from leaving her lips.

The warmth before turned into a scalding inferno that coursed through her veins at his touch. Deciding to take her earlier advice about feeling more and thinking less, Elsa pressed into him more until her chest was flush with his. The contact did not go unnoticed as she felt the arm around her back tighten as he put his head against hers. Her senses were hyper aware of the breath that brushed her ear as they continued to dance ignorant to the world around them.

The moment lasted for an eternity, no one but them mattered for the duration of that final song. He reveled in her slender frame and her scent that drove him crazy as she could feel all his hard muscles against her with his shallow breath making goosebumps appear on her skin. Edward finally pulled his head away from the side of hers and pressed his forehead against Elsa's so he could look into her sapphire gems she had for eyes.

"You look divine Elsa."

She was sure the blush on her cheeks was visible even with the makeup on her face as she lost herself in his eyes.

"Thank you, you clean up quite well."

"Had to look my best if I was going to be dancing with an angel."

Elsa had heard many compliments on her beauty and brushed them off because all of them came from men who were only physically attracted to her. Hearing it from Edward in the sincere way he spoke felt more than flattering. Everything felt _right _in this moment, she was content to stay like this with the man that began to take over most of her thoughts.

Unfortunately worries about King Alrick, Weselton, and Hector all came into mind and she hated herself for what she was about to say.

"Edward listen, there are some important things we need to talk about. King…"

A finger against her lips stopped her from speaking. The young man had a knowing smile on his face as he returned his hand to the small of her back.

"I know, we can talk later but for right now enjoy this moment. Nothing else in the world matters to me except you right now. I'm not going to let fear or anything else keep me away from enjoying this time with you. I can worry about everything later, for now, you're my entire world."

Elsa's urge to spoke vanished as she considered his words and with very little resistance surrendered to them. For this short song, she wouldn't let anything weigh her down. She let her mind and the world around her go blank as she focused entirely on the man in front of her. Her brain tried to reason that the song would end soon but she didn't care, she was going to stay in this state of mind as long as she possibly could.

Fortunately for the two of them, Anna had snuck off to the band and asked them to extend the song as long as possible. She was sure they wouldn't have noticed the song ended if did but she wanted to give them more time before they were forced to stop. Giving them one last smile, the redhead bounded off to meet back up with Kristoff, the man had missed the entire ball setting up Elsa's surprise party. When she opened the doors to the room, he was waiting there with a candlelit dinner and his hand offering her to dance which she happily agreed.

The council watched their Queen dance with the mysterious stranger with pensive stares while Hector had his arms crossed with his eyes narrowed.

Alrick stood off to the side with a knowing grin on his face, he recognized the look when he saw his wife. He recognized it when he watched his son with Lilian, and he definitely recognized it when he saw Edward look at Elsa. It was nice to see the young man so happy and made him wish he could remain so but as a King as well as a warrior, he knew that Rakat's army and this Father person wouldn't let it be that simple.

There was also the matter of telling Edward that his father was killed, he knew they weren't close but a son should know his father is no longer on the mortal plane.

* * *

Talib couldn't help but sigh at the condition of his son in front of him. Pride had bruises and dislocated bones all across his body, if he wasn't a Sin, the internal bleeding he sure to have would've likely killed him. Asger hadn't pulled any punches and was off to the side breathing quite heavily as well. His armor was completely wrecked with his bones clearly looking broken but he was still standing.

The alchemist had decided to stand and watch the fight between the two of them and only interfered when Pride had an opportunity to knock the Crusher's head clean off his shoulders. The Sin was powerful and could ignore commands given by Asger but Talib made sure to always have a failsafe. At the last moment, he used it and gave the old warrior an opportunity to end the fight right then right there.

Pride would be out for some time which gave the alchemist plenty of time for what he needed to do. He would alter Pride's soul to become more compliant and be a dutiful son. The process took time and effort with a substantial chance of failure but the Sin couldn't be left alone. If he failed, then Pride would have to be put in with Envy and used for the last resort should their plans fail. If he succeeded then they would regain one of the world's most powerful forces. The Sin had so much more potential than he realized and his little rebellion halted his progression.

Talib had two soldiers move Pride to his workshop that was in this cave as he went over to tend to the Crusher.

"You underestimated him."

"No, I overestimated my abilities. I thought even with my age I could strengthen my body to overcome it but my body is becoming slower and weaker over time."

"I can still augment your body."

"No, I'm to remain human for the plan. We still need the two other pillars, I know you can create the second at any time but what about the third, how is your experiments progressing."

"They were on time until those assassins killed me in Blackdust, I have to at some point return for my research materials to continue my work."

"Let Pride do that when he awakens, when the snowstorm wears down I will join Gluttony and Lust with our troops. You in the meantime need to keep an eye out for Sloth, I know you've noticed her change. Just because she's the laziest of the bunch doesn't mean she can't screw us over later."

"Your concerns are duly noted, which is why I implanted another failsafe inside of her in case she became too much trouble. After all, out of all the Sins, she was the only one who actually knew about the procedure before anyone else. I'm quite certain she already had a way to remove the generic failsafe I implanted in the Sins already but is not aware of hers. Besides management of all the Sins is my responsibility, after all, they all came from me."

"You mean _us."_

"No I mean me as in singular because Father is one being. Even though we are both him, Father is still one being, the plan was to educate the human race first but if things went too far out of hand, we bring Father back and discipline them one kingdom at a time."

"Like I said in the beginning, I don't care about all that, I wasn't even supposed to be Father in the first place but Alrick killed Rakat so you used me as a spare. Currently I'm the only one fit to be Father since you aren't in the correct state to play your part so if anything the Sins came from _me, _when you succeed in your experiments then you can claim to be Father, until then you are under my say."

Talib said nothing but gave the old man a calm stare before looking back to his book.

"As you say Father, Pride should be ready by tomorrow. You on the other hand need to heal, I can accelerate your healing again but you will likely need to instruct Greed to act on his plan without you. He's already in the Southern Isle with that insignificant Prince, after he finishes up there, he'll be in a position to make a move on the Ice Queen."

"He will wait until I can get there, that Elemental's head will be my trophy."

"You're letting your human emotions getting the better of you, as long as she's dead what does it matter to you. Besides Greed said we could use her to help expedite our plans."

Asger's remaining eye turned red as he grabbed the alchemist harshly by the shoulder to make him face the old man.

"_She is the last ice Elemental in the world and is the only one capable of freezing my heart again. I will not suffer her interference in my plans and will take great joy in ending her pathetic life, if there's anyone to blame, blame that ice Elemental so many years ago who stopped me and was able to die peacefully before I could have my revenge."_

Talib found himself bowing to Father as the old man walked away oblivious to his injuries as he left the room. When the alchemist was sure he was gone, he looked back up and his eyes narrowed. It's been a long time since he's actually heard Father's voice in person and he could still feel the shivers that ran down his spine. He guessed that Father was still upset about him not being able to control all of the other Sins.

So far only Greed, Gluttony, and Lust were completely on track. Sloth needed to be confirmed to still be in their control, Envy was being used as material for the backup plan, Pride required altering, and Wrath was unaccounted for. He was three out of seven and that already got him killed once, he hypothesized that getting Pride under control would spare his life in the meantime but he was still very much in danger.

He needed to track down Wrath, the furious Sin was out there with the knowledge of every encampment of Rakat's army in its brain. While he doubted the Sin would voluntarily share that information with anyone, he couldn't take the chance of his other son's memories coming back and compromising Wrath. Those memories already compromised Pride and he was supposed to be Father's greatest weapon. Talib guessed he still had a lot to learn about the power of the human heart.

The alchemist shook the thought out of his head before running back to his workshop, he had to get started on Pride. As he worked on the Sin's soul, his mind couldn't help remembering the last time he saw Wrath.

He was infusing the demon's soul into his dead son's corpse and waited for the Sin to take over. It didn't take too long and the body rose. What really surprised the alchemist was that Wrath had actually spoke and acted like it had came to possess the gift of being able to think. Talib had known the Sin for many years and all he's come to hear from it was snarling and predatory roars whenever it found its target.

To hear the demon speak in the same voice as his dead son was quite something. What made it even more interesting was seeing Wrath's eyes flash to the sky blue color of his son's eyes as he tried to resist Father's commands. The alchemist had said his spiel that Rahim was dead he was Wrath because Father was in the room watching but he didn't have to. His son _was _dead and there shouldn't be any soul for Wrath to devour so it should've just been a simple change but it wasn't.

Some part of Rahim was still inside Wrath, perhaps just his memories remained but it was worth investigating. Unfortunately, Talib was quite confident that Father would sooner have him alter Wrath's soul rather than find out why Rahim's soul still has an influence over the Sin.

A day past before the alchemist was done and Pride's red eyes opened as he looked at the man standing over him. For a moment neither of them said a word as the man sat up and got off the table before bowing his head.

"What does Father command of me?"

* * *

**Hey guys hoped you enjoyed the update. I hope you guys aren't confused about this chapter and Father, don't worry it will all be explained in great detail if you all don't understand. As much as I would love to write a fight chapter between Asger and Pride, I wanted to keep Pride's ability a secret :D. Don't worry, I hope I'll be able to get to the point in the story where Pride can show you his stuff before Christmas. Also about Talib, well he's a mad scientist and I know he doesn't have a big impact on the story yet but he will in time, his death does have a purpose. Anyway, stay tuned for the next chapter drop a review or pm me if you want to contact me, and enjoy Frozen 2 in 5 days!**


	26. Chapter 26

Elsa couldn't help the dreamy sigh that escaped her lips as she sat down behind her desk. The dance shared between her and Edward lasted forever in her opinion and she enjoyed every minute of it. All of her thoughts melted in his embrace and she honestly couldn't remember her worries in those moments, even now her mind was still in a haze. She had to admit, if this was how it felt to just feel more and think less, then she could understand why Anna did it so often.

Elsa tried to focus her mind and remember what happened after the ending of the dance. She knew that they were forced to separate when the song ended and that Anna had appeared and thanked everyone for coming before shooing all of them away. Before anyone could get to her, her sister had swooped up Elsa and said that they would be spending the night together so there was no need for either Kai or Hector to follow them.

The blonde remembered the redhead pulling her along until they arrived in her study and when she was deposited inside the hyperactive girl said she'd send Edward here and that she should wait here. Elsa didn't have the mind to comment as her sister was already gone before she could say anything. She then decided to plop behind her desk and wait for the happy feeling in her brain to clear up so she could think clearly again.

However the more it cleared, the more details of the dance came back into mind. Even with all her focus on the man in front of her, Elsa had noticed all the envious looks on the Princes faces that watched her dance with the one man she didn't deny. Her smiling like an idiot probably didn't help either or the way how they kept getting closer and closer until they looked like they were melded together. Edward didn't take his eyes off her for a moment, it was like he truly meant that she was his whole world right now and it felt good to be treated that way.

She also couldn't help but think of how his fingers felt against her. At first they were clasped in her hand and on the small of her back before the hand entwined with hers joined the one at the small of her back. With her hand now free, the blonde made a bold move by wrapping them around his neck and bringing his face even closer to hers. It was a miracle they didn't trip over each other's feet, but somehow they were in complete sync. Even their heartbeats were the same because when she laid her cheek against his chest, his heartbeat matched the one pumping in her ears.

His hands more or less made up the length of her back and when he dragged his fingers along her spine, there was no stopping the quiet moan that escaped her lips. She looked up at his face expecting a smirk of some kind but the serene facial expression he had did not change whatsoever. It was a wonder she didn't kiss him right then right there in front of everyone in the ball so she could stop turning down courting requests from Princes.

She knew it wouldn't be a good idea with all of her allies as well as the council standing by right there. They may be limited in what they could do to her but there was so much they could do to Edward if he _compromised _the Queen.

_Not that I would mind being compromised…_

Elsa couldn't help the blush that crossed her face when that thought crossed her mind. She really didn't know what came over her in that moment. She also had to remind herself who she was thinking about, Edward was too much of a gentleman to do what was in her mind. She couldn't deny that his toned forearms he used to show with his rolled up sleeves and rough hands made her shudder when she was wrapped in them. She felt tiny in his embrace yet she also felt safe, like nothing could reach her and he wouldn't let anything reach her.

She knew he wouldn't let anything hurt her, despite his hesitancy to fight, he was fiercely protective. He was like a knight in shining armor that stood in between the forces of evil and the damsel in distress. While she disliked the idea of her being a damsel and needed saving by a big strong man, she couldn't help but appreciate that he didn't view her as a prize to be one won. It irritated her that he would try to shoulder everything by himself but in hindsight she was guilty of the same thing, which was why she started taking breaks.

She felt better and had more energy throughout the day whenever she'd take breaks which what Edward must've been aiming for when he ate her stash of chocolate. Elsa opened up her drawer and smiled at the box that was still unopened. The blonde had eaten plenty of chocolate lately but kept this single box hidden away and untouched. It always brought back memories of her first kiss that was a bittersweet moment. For once she felt like one of the girls in the romantic books she read and could honestly say the books didn't do the feelings justice. On the other hand she remembered when Edward said that they couldn't do this and it made her think about all the times she let fear stop her from going after what she wanted.

At first it was him letting fear get in the way, then it was her doing it again, now it seemed the two of them were overcoming that fear. At least, she hoped that was the case when she listened to him and Anna speak through the balcony door. She wanted to tell him that they could work things out that together they could overcome anything but that sounded like her sister. Elsa knew that what worked for the redhead wouldn't work for her, that she needed to find her own answers. Usually the blonde would've thought through whatever problem that was presented to her but that wasn't helping in this case. Her feelings were a bit touchy for her and Elsa didn't like letting them out as much as she did on the North Mountain in case of hurting anyone but Edward made her feel like she could let it all out whenever he was around.

When she froze her study with him in the room, he wasn't bothered in the slightest, hell he _goaded _her into doing it. He wasn't afraid of her powers at all and probably knew more about them than she did. Maybe it was his time in the military or Wrath's powers but he acted like she could blast him with all of her powers and he wouldn't mind it at all. She remembered when they were on that clocktower and he admitted that to him she wasn't special because of her magic, to him she helped him remember how happy life could be.

What he said that night was one of the most sweetest things she's ever heard and they were to her of all people. She wished she said something to him, she wished she told him how she felt around him. Elsa knew it wasn't her strong suit but damnit tonight was going to be the night she told him how she felt. She didn't care if she fell on her face or made a fool out of herself, he was going to know exactly where he stood with her when he walked through those doors. The blonde began to pump herself up and as the doors creaked, she hopped to her feet ready to speak to Edward.

Only to be disappointed to see Hector walking through with a serious expression.

"Your Majesty, please forgive the intrusion but I felt it would be pertinent to my post of your bodyguard to discuss the circumstances regarding Edward."

* * *

Edward had watched Anna tug Elsa away as the guests started leaving, making him one of the last ones in the ballroom. Truth be told, the young man's mind was currently preoccupied with the aroma that Elsa's body left in his arms. Right now he could freely admit that he was intoxicated as well as thoroughly aroused. He was fortunate his tucked in shirt, belt, and vest had obscured his..._arousal_...so no one noticed.

The young man could count the number of times he's been intimate with a woman on one hand and even those times weren't intimate in the slightest. Four of them were times when he was home in Blackdust where women in taverns view young teens in the military as men. He couldn't remember their faces no matter how hard he tried, not that he cared. It was just a bodily exercise to him, no feeling at all, just movement and stimuli that couldn't relieve his mind of the burden his life had on him.

The fifth and final time however, was after he became Wrath and escaped Rakat's army. This one he could easily picture the woman's face. Her name was Irina and she was a cute brunette that was a waitress in one of the towns he passed by. She was nice, made him laugh a bit, _almost _got his mind of the demon inside him. One thing led to another and she was in his bed, he remembered his mind actually beginning to wander and for a moment he thought he had found some peace.

He couldn't have been more wrong.

Wrath had gotten a really good grip on him in the moment and the soft touches he gave her turned into ravenous and furious ones. He thanked God that he didn't kill her but he knew he scared her. His clawed hands easily ripped off the headboard while his thrusts left bruises on her thighs. He remembered her asking if he was alright but all she got were snarls and heavy breathing which made her turn around and see two demon arms holding her waist and his teeth beginning to grow into that fearsome fanged smile.

She was too stunned to say anything but let the monster have his way with her. As it turned out, his body had a lot of energy to burn that he used her far longer than he would've like to admit. His claws left small scratches on her and there was actually a small bite mark on her right shoulder that bled a little. He had a pretty good hunch she just stayed still and took it hoping he wouldn't seriously hurt her. By the time Edward finally got a grip on himself, she was curled in a ball in the sheets, bruises from where he had his hands on her were forming and she was visibly shaking. When he tried to apologize she jumped away from him while pulling the sheets with her and trying to put as much distance between the two of them.

Her face reflected all the fear she felt at having been violated by a monster. Too ashamed to speak, he skipped town that moment he put his clothes on. Ever since then, Edward tried to ignore any feeling that was remotely like what he felt for Irina. It wasn't until he met Elsa, the woman slipped his mind completely because the blonde was a far more powerful thought in his mind than she was.

Right now in this moment, his body ached for Elsa's and he couldn't help himself but imagine how her bare skin would feel against his.

Edward walked over to a wall and lightly smashed his head into it, he _couldn't _think like that about Elsa. Even though he was willing to try and have a relationship with her, he didn't want to chance hurting her the same way he did Irina. When he kissed the blonde, everything felt so _right _in the world and he felt the most alive he's ever felt. When he had her in his arms, _nothing _else mattered, not a single thing besides her. He wanted to make sure that _he _was feeling these feelings and not Wrath, he wouldn't let the demon lay one finger on Elsa.

His thoughts then went to his left arm and couldn't help but laugh at the cruel irony. The demon had already laid a finger on the blonde, in fact it trailed a hand up her back not even ten minutes ago. He was happy Elsa didn't notice the difference in his hands when he placed them on her back, perhaps her mind wasn't all there as much as his was. He still needed to find a time to tell her about his left arm, he wouldn't keep secrets from her and this one was already a big one. He was absentmindedly fiddling with it as he paced the halls next to the ballroom until he happened to look up at a certain painting.

In the painting was a brunette man wearing a royal jacket with Arendelle's colors with a crown on his head. Next to him was...if Edward's eyes were right, Elsa. She looked a bit older with some very faint wrinkles on her face but the woman was an identical copy of the blonde except she had brown hair. She was dressed in a conservative dress that bore a resemblance to the gown that Elsa wore earlier tonight. Edward meant what he said that Elsa looked divine tonight but she always looked that way to him, she could cut all her hair, be covered in horrific burns, lose all her teeth and still look like an angel to him. Her kind soul was more than enough for him to see her that way.

It's just seeing her in that dress tonight didn't feel like he was looking at Elsa.

Now that he saw this painting, he realized that he was looking at this woman tonight.

Elsa's choice of clothing was quite daring and was a sight to behold. She showed off her curves and porcelain skin that made her look like an exquisite dish that he would die for to get a taste of. Seeing her tonight in a conservative dress like that made it seem like she was hiding herself behind a facade and that left a weird taste in his mouth. He would prefer that Elsa be true to herself all the time and anyone who disagreed with that could get acquainted with himself and Wrath when they were both mutually angry.

The young man was deep in thought staring at the painting that he didn't notice Anna running up to him until she slid in front of him with an exasperated smile on her face. "It's about time I found you, come on Elsa is waiting on you!" The redhead tried to pull the man but he remained rooted to his spot.

"Hey Anna, who are these two?"

The redhead looked up at the painting and her smile was slowly wiped off her face as she took on a more wistful expression.

"Those are my parents."

Edward had heard that they had died in a storm years ago and could've likely figured it out but he couldn't help but ask. Anna's hair was a clear link to the man while Elsa was a spitting image of the woman. He never actually seen them before or had a reason to ask about them but now that he had, he couldn't help but think they were watching him. Edward was a believer however not religious, his time in the military made it difficult to appreciate the value of church and the Bible. Especially when his Father placed no value on either and felt that they were trivial distractions that humans created to explain things that they didn't understand.

He believed though, when his mother died and he was sent to live with his father, Shahbaz had told him about the concept that when good people died they were welcomed into heaven by God. That in that place they could look out for their children and people that they loved. It was a comforting thought and helped him to think that his mother was watching over him throughout the earlier years of his life. As he grew older, thoughts of her waned from his mind as the thirst for revenge consumed it. He wanted Wrath to pay and he didn't care if he would spend an eternity in Hell as long as he got his revenge.

Ironically when he died he was put in his own variation of Hell. He had hurt people that he cared for and trusted while becoming the monster he hated for so long. Even when he tried to rid the world of the demon, he found out he couldn't kill himself because of its desire to live. So he lived day to day thinking about what would happen if Wrath came out and was hungry for innocent lives.

He mildly wondered what Elsa's parents thought of him trying to be with their daughter. If he had a child and someone like him came along, he'd kill the guy on the spot, or at least attempt to. He was dangerous and had already shed blood in front of their daughter, even if it was in her defense. Anna must've seen the man staring at the painting with an intense expression and put a hand on his shoulder guessing what he was likely thinking.

"Hey, Mama and Papa would of liked you."

"How can you be so sure, I have a very challenging personality."

"You care for Elsa and see her just for her and not as the Queen or someone with powers. My parents separated us and kept her hidden away hoping that it would be best for her but it wasn't. She needed to be allowed to let herself be as free as she could possibly be without having people fear what she could do. You haven't shown an ounce of fear to her and always treat her like a treasure, I'm sure they would've wanted that for their daughter."

Edward nodded his head but couldn't help but feel that the painting was watching him like a hawk even though he knew their eyes were straight ahead. He had his doubts but he wanted to be with Elsa and as much as he second guessed himself, he needed to keep moving forward.

"Thanks Anna, I really appreciated hearing that. I hope I can live up to what they would've wanted for her."

The redhead nodded before she began tugging him away so that they could go see Elsa in her study. When they got to the doors and were about to knock on them a voice made it past the wood that made them both freeze.

"Your Majesty, I don't believe it is safe for you to be around Edward."

The two of them recognized the voice as Hector and Anna's face actually got red as she was about to burst through the doors but the man next to her kept her from doing so. He wanted to know why the noble would think that he was a threat to Elsa, sure they had their differences and he was basically a stranger but so far he hadn't done anything the guard should know that would suggest him to be a threat. He gave the redhead in his arms a quick look to calm down and just listen as he hoped to understand what was going through Hector's mind.

* * *

Elsa kept a regal gaze on her personal guard at the rather blunt statement he just made. She could guess he had come to this conclusion based on what Alrick said and normally she would have agreed with him if it wasn't someone she knew on a personal level. Hector knew that Edward was now banished from a kingdom shrouded in mystery, the ramifications of that were numerous. If he were to tell the council, they would likely try and investigate Edward until they found the existence of Wrath and that would be disastrous considering he couldn't control that other side of him yet.

Regardless of that, Elsa needed to know exactly what was going on through the guard's mind. Perhaps she could turn his attention away from some suspicious factors she could play off that Edward wasn't dangerous. Even if she failed, she was prepared to defend the man once again and order Hector to not speak a word of this to the council or be charged with treason if things escalated.

"What would make you think I am not safe when I'm around him?"

"Your Majesty, as we are both aware, banishment is a heavy punishment, especially from a militaristic standpoint. Generally if someone commits a grievous crime that in the military, a loss of rank is usually handed out, if not imprisonment or execution. The fact that he was _banished _meant that a whole kingdom felt that he was a threat to them as long as he stayed inside. What does that say when you have him here in this kingdom training your guards."

"What makes you think he was military?"

"King Alrick is one of the very few known men from Blackdust thanks to his moniker, Alrick the Mystic. The former Commander of the Mystic Guard. My father's expeditionary force has seen as well as heard tales of their effectiveness when it came to fighting wars. He called Edward a 'welcomed addition to my force' that suggests he was a special type of soldier. With the way he spoke about him, I would guess that Edward was likely part of the Mystic Guard. Which backs my claim that he could be dangerous around you given that he could be an elite soldier that was banished now having access to your security."

"King Alrick seemed quite willing to overlook his crimes and grant him a pardon, should he assist the King. If Edward was such a danger as you hypothesized then why would he be offered such an olive branch?"

"Tell me Your Majesty, have you heard of the kingdom of Ashfeld?"

Elsa's mind went to the letter she received months ago. It was the kingdom that was attacked Rosenburg with the help of the Blackdust military that was close to taking over but got overconfident and attacked the small force but was slaughtered by Pride. Their kingdom was then burned to the ground from village to capitol, no one was safe from their path of destruction. What could Edward possibly have to do with that?

"Yes, they were once at war with Rosenburg before being completely burned to the ground. I don't see how this as anything to do with Edward."

"It's to answer your earlier question. Why would he be offered a chance to return home after helping with the King? There is the possibility that he would be of use and in exchange for that use, he would win his freedom. However there is also the chance that Alrick plans on using him the terminating him in the hopes of keeping whatever threat he presents as a minimum. And the final possibility is that now that Edward knows about your security, he can report back to his King and they could effectively take advantage of you and your kingdom."

"I've already ruled out this possibility, both myself and Anna were in dangerous positions that would have ended with Hans taking over Arendelle had it not been for Edward and Prince Ahimoth. If they were really trying to take over the kingdom then their best chance would've been right then and there, what would be the point of saving us if to take us over later?"

"You don't find it mildly curious that both the perpetrator of your kidnapping as well as your rescuer hail from the same kingdom? With them both possessing the knowledge of how your magic works and only the Prince and Edward were able to capture a man who could kill a squad of guards while making off with you. Then the only prisoner we had to gain information from was killed after you denying that he be turned over to the Prince who left that _same _day, leaving us with no new information?"

Elsa couldn't help but wince, he was right. The whole thing sounded suspicious when said like that, she had answers to all the gaps but she couldn't serve Edward on a platter for the council. They would demand he'd be removed from Arendelle if not worse used as a potential weapon against any they deem a threat, maybe even her. She tried to rack her brain on what she could say to alleviate the concerns but for the moment her mind came up with nothing. Hector looked ready to press his advantage but a knock on the door stopped whatever was about to come out of his mouth.

"Elsa are you in there? I thought you and me were supposed to spend the night together, you weren't in your room when I came back with chocolate."

The blonde couldn't help the confused look that crossed her face. Anna never knocked on her study door, she usually just barged in. After a moment, the redhead slowly opened the door and poked her head in looking quite surprised to see Hector and Elsa alone.

"Am I interrupting something?"

Hector looked ready to say something but Elsa beat him to it.

"No, Hector here was just going over some security measures for tomorrow with it being the summit. However it is getting quite late and we could continue this conversation tomorrow. Now come on, you need to get out of that dress and cleaned, I'm not sharing a bed with someone who stinks."

The redhead stuck her tongue out at the blonde and opened the door wide enough for them to step through. "You're still in your dress, I'm sure you stink more than I do, you actually danced tonight while I had to talk to people."

Elsa stopped at the door before winking.

"Perhaps but its my bed."

She then turned back to Hector to address him with a 'tired' smile.

"We will discuss this in more detail tomorrow. You raise some valid points that I need to consider, I hope you have a good evening. I will be in my room so there is no need for you to escort me."

She watched him narrow his eyes for a moment before bowing his head then closed the door to her study and walked toward her room. When she was sure they were down the hall and not being followed, Elsa let out the breath she was holding before flashing her sister with a grateful smile.

"You seem to have a knack for appearing whenever I need you."

"Yeah well Ed wanted to bust in but we thought it better that I grab you instead considering you two were talking about him."

Elsa stopped and looked bewildered for a moment at her sister who couldn't help the smirk on her face. It was then that everything became clear, Edward and Anna must've been listening through the door and chose that time to interfere when she couldn't answer. She didn't see Edward and wondered where he was but remembered how fast he was and that the redhead had actually knocked and took her time to open the door. It was likely he ran off so Hector wouldn't see him, which begged the question…

"So where is Edward? Don't tell me he's waiting for me in my room."

"Yup he's waiting there right now with candles and rose petals on your bed."

The bright pink blush that covered Elsa's cheeks really stood out which made Anna laugh.

"I'm kidding, he said he'd run down back to the ballroom so the guards would see him leaving so no one will know he went to see you. He said he'd find a way to sneak into your room but I don't see how that's possible considering your room is overlooking the harbor and there aren't any balconies to climb on."

The blonde thought back to the clocktower where he climbed the outside to beat her to the top and chuckled a bit.

"Somehow I don't think that'll be much of a problem for him."

* * *

Edward told the truth when he said he'd head back down to the ballroom so the guards would see him leave. He just waited until Hector came down before he started making his way toward the entrance. When they bumped into one another, he didn't even attempt to look sorry or surprised to see the guard. He was of course greeted with a narrowed eye stare that he now knew was suspicion. To be completely honest, he didn't mind it. It was good that Elsa's guard was observant enough to figure so much out and worry about his Queen, that wasn't the issue.

What the issue was that Edward wasn't sure that he trusted the guard to be loyal to Elsa or the council.

Usually it would be smart to side with the reigning monarch due to most kingdoms having more power than their council but in Arendelle they were an even split. The people may love Elsa and she was very intelligent, however her council had been doing this a lot longer than her. If they really wanted, they could make the blonde's life hell with their connections as well the knowledge they had of Arendelle's inner workings. Could they just kick her off the throne, no that wasn't a likely scenario given her achievements in the short amount of time she's held the throne, the main threat was what they could say or do to other kingdoms that didn't always agree with Elsa.

Edward could think of at least three ways he could use the information of her having him train her guards to discredit her. He wanted to know where Hector's loyalties lie, which was why he chose now to face the guard and get an idea of who he was up against.

"You've been given me that stink eye since I met you and I don't remember doing anything to you to deserve it, so what's up?"

Hector said nothing as he turned on his heel and started walking away. Edward frowned as he watched the man retreat, he was bold enough to speak to the Queen but not him? He couldn't accept that so he decided to take a page out of Stonewell's book.

"Running away like a dog with his tail between his legs, what did Elsa do, castrate you because she saw through your routine of getting girls. I mean no offense but how do you walk straight, that big head of yours on that tiny neck must make it difficult to keep yourself balanced, and just so we're clear, I'm talking about the one in your pants but your head on your shoulders is a close second."

Hector stopped walking before whirling around to face the man and stomped until they were face to face.

"You looking for a fight, the Queen isn't around so you can hide under her skirt."

_What I'd do to get under her skirt._

Edward inwardly choked himself, he _needed _to stop thinking like that. Just because he got to hold her for a few minutes doesn't mean he should have her totally dominating his hormones like this. Damnit sometimes it sucked to be based off a human, his hormones were quite difficult to control and right now, he'd go to war if it meant she was waiting for him in her bed.

"No just trying to figure out why you hate me so much, I didn't do anything to you. Hell when you take cracks at me during training, I ignore you, what have I done to make you want to go out of your way to piss on my day?"

"You really want to know?"

"Yes I really _really _do."

"You're a threat to Arendelle."

Edward already knew that, he knew that since day one. The reason itself was one from a patriot which would likely side with the Queen rather than the council which in a small way relieved him.

"How so?"

"Ever since you got here, strange things have been happening. Never before has someone completely outclassed the guards here so completely that they made off with the Queen. Then this mysterious stranger comes out of nowhere and saves said Queen that same night and manages to capture the man who outclasses are men. Who ended up dead before anyone could question him. What's to say you didn't plan this to carry favor with the Her Majesty, it's not hard to figure out she values you. She defends you without reason and whenever she's caught off guard, her sister flies in for the rescue. Can you stand there and tell me that nothing is going on and that I'm being paranoid?"

"No I can't, you've made some very valid points. However trust me when I say that rescuing the Queen was a challenge for me, I only fought two guys and had to run after I grabbed her. If it weren't for her abilities, we wouldn't have made it, plus when we captured Zavis, there were two others with me. Kristoff and Ahimoth, without those two, I would've most certainly died and not be barely hanging on to life like I was when they dragged me back here. There are strange things happening but I can honestly say that I have nothing to do with them."

"Really, then why do you leave the village everyday?"

Edward kept his face in a neutral expression as he cursed himself in his head. He should've been more observant when he left, he would think that when he was testing Wrath's arm that he would be more conscious of checking to make sure no one noticed him.

"Not only that but when you first came here and were ambushed by those bandits, you told Stonewell that wolves got to them. However I was able to see the bodies and there wasn't any fur or teeth marks. In fact they were all torn apart by something went blunt objects. That stupid oaf said that you were being chased by the bandits in question then he lost track of you, so he can't account for the time you were gone.

Edward's hand grabbed the front of Hector's jacket before bringing them closer. He was surprised to learn that his bluff when he first got here was called but at the moment he didn't care because the man in front of him just insulted a good friend of his.

"You will not speak of Kristoff in that way got it?"

"Or what, you'll tear me apart as well? Face it, I know you aren't who you say you are. The King of Blackdust basically confirmed you hail from there as well as the fact you were banished from there meaning you must've done something horrific. I wonder what it could be, the Mystic Guard were quite accomplished mercenaries a few years ago. If I remember correctly the last battle they fought in was the invasion of Elysion."

The word Elysion made Edward let go of Hector's jacket as he stared at the noble with an awestruck expression. How could he have possibly known where the Mystic Guard last fought?

"Surprised? Well maybe you should learn who is influential in Arendelle before nesting here. My father, Cornelius Bowman, is currently the head of Bowman Expeditionary forces that have branches around other kingdoms. They were hired to be mercenaries to protect travelers who went on adventures as well as supported other kingdoms on the off chance they needed muscle. When Blackdust invaded Elysion, who do you think the kingdom called? A cheap force that could counter the militaristic might of a kingdom who made profit off war. The battle between them went on for a while but then Blackdust finally pulled out with no reason. The troops looked for anything that could have given them a clue of what they could be possibly after but all they found were the remains of the over two hundred Mystic Guard bodies littering the battlefield. It was then during that time Blackdust shut off all contact with the outside world to host their little civil war of theirs. You don't look old enough to have been in the military force for more than a few years, so what are you doing banished after a civil war?"

His logic was sound and quite dangerous. He had asked the right questions and connected the dots quite well that Edward didn't know what to say. He didn't want to reveal the existence of Wrath at least until he had control but at the rate this guard was thinking, he might know soon enough. The young man still kept his mouth shut, Hector sounded like he already got a lot of dirt on him but so far none of it was too bad that it wouldn't impact Elsa's image. The only thing he could conclusively prove was that he was banished from Blackdust and he acted suspiciously, nothing that would call into question Elsa's ability to take care of Arendelle.

"Not so talkative now aren't you? You're hiding something and her Majesty is still defending you despite these claims. It goes into question if she really has the wellbeing of the kingdom on her mind even when she abandoned it like a scared little girl during her coronation."

Edward was amazed that he didn't lose his cool when that not so subtle jibe left Hector's mouth. There was no denying that he wanted to tear out the noble's tongue so he wouldn't be able to speak anymore. However they were close to the guards watching the ballroom and as he told himself repeatedly, acting pissed off wouldn't help Elsa at all.

"You do realize what you said was treasonous right?"

"It may be but I think the council would be more interested to hear that we've had a special Blackdust soldier in our midst, especially given that your kingdom isn't well known for being nice."

Well at least Edward knew what side Hector was on. Underneath that arrogant charm and noble standing, he was a sharp witted man that didn't have much faith in the Queen.

"Looks like we're in a stalemate I guess. You don't have as much evidence as you need to prove I'm a credible threat and it's not like I can ask Elsa to just remove you so that you can't cause her any harm without getting proof for the council."

"For now we are, but I'll be sure to break that stalemate. Someone somewhere has to know something about you, when I get that information than I'm coming for you."

"I have one final question before calling it a night then."

"What is it?"

"In the short time Elsa's been on the throne, she has improved the lives of the entire kingdom by diligently working for it. Why would you risk endangering that, especially when she's your Queen and completely devoted to Arendelle? Where's your sense of loyalty?"

Hector took a step so that they were almost nose to nose and whispered with an intense expression on his face.

"My loyalty is to Arendelle only, while her Majesty has been hiding from the kingdom, the council had been keeping us alive. Then on her coronation day when she froze our kingdom, I've watched friends freeze to death and she remains unpunished. She may have done good things while on the throne but she could still be a threat, I'm to make sure she isn't."

With that Hector backed off and began to walk away toward the courtyard and didn't stop when he heard Edward talk behind him.

"So you're just the council's watchdog aren't you?"

"Better that then a soldier who can't protect his home."

Edward didn't miss the subtle jab at him being banished. It made him consider Alrick's proposal and that maybe he should accept but recent events made up his mind. He needed to see Elsa, _now. _

He left the castle and made sure to wave to the guards as he headed down the stone bridge that connected the castle to the rest of the village. When he made it to the mainland, he looked up along the mountainous ridge that had a wall going through it with guard towers. He wished he could've taken the secret passage Elsa led him down but he was sure he'd get lost, so he had to do this the hard way. If he went down by the docks and ambled his way all the way along the wall he would be in a position to get behind the castle and he'd just have to scale the wall before climbing his way to Elsa's room. He was sure there would be guards patrolling but he knew he was skilled enough to sneak past them plus if any caught him, he could simply say that he was looking for one of his students and that he attended the ball for Stonewell hence his clothes.

_I really need to learn the secret passageways one day._

* * *

Elsa was currently sitting in her room on the small cushion that was next to her window where she stood looking out to Arendelle when she was a little girl. Anna had left her to go to bed after joking that Edward was likely looking for some rose petals right now. The blonde responded with a blush that maybe Kristoff would cover her bed in mushrooms like he did that troll last year on Christmas. The small joke made the two of them laugh and shudders when they remembered that he gave the troll model a really good lick.

When the door closed, Elsa thought about waiting for Edward in her dress but was sure she would head off to bed right after so she took the fastest bath she ever had to make sure he wouldn't catch her and put on a magenta nightgown with a baby blue robe and tied the sash effectively concealing herself.

After the rush and him still not being here she decided to wait by the window and look toward the moon. It was a pretty night tonight and she couldn't help but think about the last time she really noticed the moon. It was when Zavis had taken her, it was that night she remembered what it was like to be a scared little girl again. She was completely at his mercy, despite being able to subdue the two imposters that came after her. That night for a moment she thought it would be the end for her, but it was also that night she got Edward to open up to her about what was going on inside him.

It was like when she went up on the mountain to let go of her hold on her powers and she embraced who she really was. For a time it was freeing and exhilarating for her but for him it was the opposite. She knew that when he kicked the door down, he let go of any restraint he had and he was completely focused. She actually didn't see him impale her kidnapper with his sword, she blinked and he was already facing the two bandits. It was then she watched him take his time like he was holding himself back which she knew sounded contradictory but it was true. He let go of the fear of being the monster he saw himself as for that brief moment but still kept himself in check to make sure he didn't unleash all of it at once.

It was after that night that control of his abilities waned, just like hers did when she returned to Arendelle and awoke in that horrid cell. It took her sister's love and acceptance of herself to regain control but she didn't know if that would work for him. Edward kept himself on a very tight leash whenever he could and worried endlessly day by day. That was no way to live, she wanted to change that, she wanted him to live and be happy.

It warmed her heart that he said that she made his life brighter but she still didn't know if he actually _loved _her. Sure he had strong feelings but love was the strongest one of all, she didn't want to push him but she wanted to know.

She was broken out of her thoughts when she heard a series of taps just below her outside the window. Looking through the class she couldn't see anything but slightly jumped when a hand slapped the glass where her face was and she glared at Edward who was hanging along the castle window ledge. He had that smirk on his face that made her insides melt as he tapped on the window asking she open it.

It was her turn to smirk before she placed a finger on the window and began to drag it along writing something.

'_This window doesn't open, you have to go around.'_

The man's face scrunched up in confusion for a moment before he fully read what she had said and his eyebrows shot up his face. He gave her a 'Really?' look as she rested her head on her cheek before raising her other hand waving at him. They stood there for a few moments before she got up and with that mischievous smile on her face she closed the curtains to the window blocking his view of her.

She pressed her ear against the wall before she started hearing the sounds of something shuffling outside and she giggled. Leaving her room, she looked down both ends of the hall making sure they were clear before she unlocked the latch and opened the window across from her bedroom. Normally most kingdoms would've felt this be a security threat but the wall along where the window was completely flat making it nearly impossible to climb. The nearest ledge was forty feet below her. She was actually curious how Edward planned to climb through the window.

She got her answer when a body fell from above and grasped the window sill she had just opened. She had to cover her mouth to muffle the shriek that escaped her lips as Edward heaved himself inside and closing the two windows behind him. After doing so he turned to face her and put his hands on his waist before speaking to her.

"Really?"

Elsa laughed as she grabbed him and quickly pulled him into her room before locking the door. She turned around to see him looking at her with his arms crossed while tapping his foot still having that disbelieved expression on his face. She tried to mimic Anna's innocent expression but it seemed to have no effect on the man in front of her.

"What?"

"You couldn't have told me your window doesn't open, had I known that, I would've snuck through the halls."

"I'm not the one who told you to climb the castle wall, that was _all you_."

Edward raised his arms in the air in exasperation before letting them down and taking a long around the woman's room. To be honest, he wasn't surprised to see bookshelves filled to the brim inside, she did like to read. What _did _catch his eyes was that he could've sworn that one bookshelf was filled with romance novels. He couldn't help but send the woman a teasing smile as he picked up one and flipped through it's pages.

"And here I was thinking Anna was the hopeless romantic."

The book was soon plucked out of his hands and put back to where it belonged.

"A growing woman can only read policies and familiarize herself with other kingdoms for so long."

"I'm sure."

The two descended into comfortable silence that neither didn't seem to be in a rush to break. The woman took noticed that he was still wearing his coat and gloves on top of his vest and shirt. She was sure he was hot even though it was her room, she was about to ask if he wanted to remove it when he beat her to it.

"So what did Alrick say to you?"

Elsa frowned, she hoped that he wouldn't bring that up so soon, she wanted to talk about them first before the unpleasant business but wasn't surprised. Edward most likely viewed this to be more important than the feelings between them. Which objectively it was, Alrick planned on taking the fight to Father and Edward would be a great help to him if he went along. The problem was that she didn't want him to go, yes it may have been selfish but he's already done enough in her opinion. He wasn't some weapon, he was a person who's been through a traumatic experience and deserved to have the opportunity to make peace with his life.

Yes, she would've liked it if the two of them could be more than friends but even if they didn't, she would like to see him stay. He was basically a brother to Anna, Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven. A reluctant son to Captain Stonewell who would probably deny it to his dying breath. He was apart of their family and she was tired of family leaving her but kept quiet, it was his choice and she would support him.

"He wanted to ask if he could speak to all the other kingdoms that were gathered here tomorrow at the summit. Apparently he would like to get on more friendly terms with all of them so he could bring his kingdom into this new era of peace."

"That's good, Blackdust has been in a constant state of war for so long, it deserves to find a little peace after so much bloodshed."

"Yes, after so much pain, one should be allowed to find his own peace without being forced to sacrifice his for the sake of others."

Edward turned toward the woman and wasn't surprised to see the meaningful expression cross the woman's face. He expected that Alrick told her about his offer for him to return to the service and hunt down Rakat's army and regain his status to return home. His old Commander didn't like politics or hiding anything from people without reason, it was courtesy that he told her in case Edward did decide to accept the proposal. He already guessed that she wasn't happy about the offer given the look on her face, especially with what was between them.

With the chance that if he left now, she might never see him again due to the danger of him losing himself to Wrath.

She wanted him to find peace here in Arendelle, which he had, but it wasn't because of the place. It was because of her, _she _brought peace to his mind, but he knew that he could help bring peace to his homeland and as a soldier he was duty bound to do so.

"Looks like he also told you about his offer to me."

"He did."

"And you don't like it."

Elsa sighed before walking to the foot of her bed and sat on it. She kept her gaze toward the ground as if the words she wanted to say were printed there and would be easier if she could just read it.

"The idea of you leaving to be used as a weapon, no I don't like that. I feel you've already done enough and should just learn to live like a human being and not a soldier. You told me that your life has been filled with tragedy and darkness for so long and now that you've finally had a little bit of light in your life, why would you go back to the darkness?"

Edward wringed his fingers together as he walked over to her and kneeled down so she was looking at him and took her hands in his gloved ones.

"Because part of me feels like it's the least I can do to atone for all the things Wrath made me do. You may be able to look past my sins but I find it hard to do so, they haunt my dreams and are constantly on my mind. Even with the happiness I've found here, don't you think I should use whatever time I have left to help my kingdom find peace?"

Elsa was torn, part of her wanted to slap him over and over until he got it through his head that his actions in the past wasn't his fault while another part of her wanted to kiss him senseless because he was willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of others which was a noble quality. She settled on nodding her head while letting a few tears leak out when she realized he made up his mind.

"I don't want to say that you should focus on your own happiness before others because that's my job on a daily basis. I understand that you feel that you need to do this, you're the type of person who helps people without thinking. You put yourself in harm's way for others even when you want to stay out of conflict, that's one of the things I've come to love about you…"

Elsa tightened her grip on his hands when she said the word love. It took her a while but the heart wanted what it wanted and she was tired of trying to make it see logic. If tonight was going to be her last night with him, she was going to feel and not think.

"Your hardworking, kind, considerate, loyal, and accepting of everything and everyone around you. You take on too much so others wouldn't have to and take responsibility for your actions and mistakes. You may feel that you don't have a heart anymore and that you're a monster but that couldn't be farther from the truth. A monster wouldn't agonize over something that he was forced to do for so long nor would he rush into action to save someone he barely met. A monster wouldn't even consider Alrick's offer but here you are, I wish you could see what I see when I see you."

Edward couldn't help but chuckle a bit as he felt his heart swell, this woman really knew how to cut deep into his feelings. It's what made it easy to say what he wanted.

"The other part of me on the other hand, can't seem to bring myself to leave this place. The peace and happiness I have here has done me well. I've been able to enjoy life a bit more since coming here and it's been really nice. I also have been able to get a couple of ideas on how to control Wrath as well as get answers to questions I would've never been able to answer on my own. Most of all…"

Edward brought the woman's hands to his lips before kissing each knuckle and looking at her with a sincere expression.

"I was able to meet you, the one person who has seen me what I have hidden inside and haven't ran away. Instead you stayed and want to help me heal, I was able to share with you my pain that I've held in for so long. You've given me strength when I had none and made me hopeful for the future. You mean so much to me and when I think of the possibility that you could be in danger, I want to be right there standing in between you and it. Elsa, I can't leave you, I want to stay with you, not because of the dangers or because I feel serene around you. I want to stay because I don't want to deny the world one of its brightest lights that without a doubt touched many people's lives. The same way it shined on mine and chased away all the darkness."

The woman couldn't help the happy cascade of tears that began to come down her face at his words. She was so sure he had decided to leave like he always planned to but hearing that he wanted to stay for her made her heart fly to cloud nine.

"Don't think you're the only one who gets to protect someone, next time, I'm going to save you."

Edward stood up before raising his right hand to her cheek and wiped some of tears away before leaning down.

"You already did."

It was when he pressed his lips against hers that the _right _feeling they both craved returned and it was much stronger now than it was before.

* * *

_**READ THIS!**_

**I'm watching Frozen 2 TOMORROW XD. I'm going to try and knock out a short chapter before I watch the movie, I want to cement the relationship between these two before the movie pairs her with somebody. I REALLY REALLY hope they keep her single because then all these wonderous fanfictions we have would just be mute you know. Anyway I'm just going to say it right here because ya'll know what's coming. **

**NEXT CHAPTER IS A LEMON**

**Its finally happening and that's why its going to be a shorter chapter. I would put in little caption marks where its actually going to be in the chapter but it wouldn't work because I'm putting in some revelant stuff inside the lemon portion. So I'm sorry but I suggest you take it with a grain of salt and read it, I'm going to try and be descriptive but not SUPER descriptive you know, I'm going for a lovey feel which I hope is what you got from this chapter. Anyway drop a review or pm me if you need to contact me i'll catch ya'll later. **


	27. Chapter 27

All of Edward's senses were put into a haze as he kissed her, all of his previous thoughts evaporated right then and there. He couldn't think of anything except for the blonde in front of him. The last time they kissed everything felt perfect and serene, this time however his body was overloaded with shudders and a desire to want more.

He nibbled on her bottom lip and when she gasped from the feeling, he slipped his tongue inside and tasted her with restless abandon. The small groan he swallowed from her cut him all the way down to his groin as he enjoyed the taste of chocolate and tea that was in her mouth. His right hand was still stroking her cheek while his left was off to the side away from her. Even with his mind not being cogent, a part of him didn't want to violate her body with Wrath's.

Elsa on the other hand couldn't help the heat that burned through her veins and made her want the man kissing her to come closer. Her brain had warned her that she was in a particular situation that could have political consequences if they were discovered but she honestly couldn't care less. She was done being the good girl that she always had to be, she was going to be just plain old Elsa. The one the man in front of her valued and not the Queen everyone expected her to be.

She pulled at the lapels of his coat to make him get closer and deepen the kiss but her desire made her use more strength than she should've. Her back hit her bed as Edward's left hand stopped his body from collapsing on her while his right moved to the small of her back to lessen the impact. The blonde didn't seem to notice and continued to dominate the kiss with her surprisingly newfound skill.

While this was happening frost from her fingers began to glide down the navy blue coat and in a way that one would think she was doing this consciously, a personalized snowflake appeared on the back with crocus designs interlocking with one another going down his sleeves and the tails of the coat. Edward barely noticed the cool feeling traveling along his coat, in fact all he could feel was the groans the woman made whenever he'd dart his tongue in her mouth before pulling back making hers chase after.

Soon the desire to breathe grew stronger and the two of them backed off and gazed at each other with emotion dancing in between them. The blonde now realized that she had a man looming over her in her bed while she was in just a robe and nightgown. What made the blush on her cheeks over her entire face was the fact that _she _pulled him down on top of her. She wanted him to be closer but she didn't know he'd be this close. What surprised her more that she wanted him _even closer. _

She wanted to feel his skin and muscle with her small fingers, trace the scars he was sure to have since she'd seen the ones on his forearms. It was then she noticed that he still had his coat on as well as his gloves, if he was feeling half as hot as she was then he must be dying under his clothes. For a split second, she wondered if he was wearing so much clothing because her body was indeed that cold. The thought made her consider that he didn't want to touch her skin but she quickly dismissed that thought. Edward had never been afraid of her powers and knew more about them than most, he also said that they weren't what made her special so she believed that he could look past them.

"You know its ok to take off your coat and gloves, you must be burning up."

She talked in a teasing voice expecting a smirk and witty response from him but to her dismay a solemn look took over his face as he slipped out of her grip and sat on the foot of the bed. She watched him begin muttering to himself as he wrings his fingers while looking toward his left arm. Elsa sat up and the heat from the moment was instantly put aside as she scooted closer to him and put a hand on his arm.

"What's wrong?"

"I haven't been entirely upfront with you."

The blonde felt her heart stop for a moment as her mind instantly went into overdrive wondering what he meant. For a moment she thought that perhaps he was already intimate with another woman and her heart began to crumble when she considered it. She desperately hoped that wasn't the case. While it was true she was the one who said they should remain friends, she still wanted him to be hers and only hers. It was possessive and somewhat selfish but she could freely admit that to herself.

She watched him sat up and take off his navy blue coat before tossing it to the side. He then only took off his right glove while keeping his left one on and began to unbutton his vest. The blonde watched in confusion as he stripped off his vest and tie before untucking his shirt and undoing all the buttons. He then stopped before taking a breath and removed his shirt, first freeing his right arm and with a moment of hesitation freed his left arm and removed the glove as it came off.

Elsa softly gasped as she got a view of his left arm that looked exactly like Wrath's. The man's body was fit with compact muscle and scars that called out to her then at his left shoulder it was covered in red scales that ran down the arm as if it was skin. Without thinking she got to her feet and approached the young man before putting her hand on his shoulder. She felt him flinch under her fingers but he made no move to stop her as she traced her hand down his arm. She could feel the taut muscle under the smooth surface of the scales that didn't cut her hand as she rubbed it. She finally reached his clawed hand and turned it over seeing his fingers being claws now but they weren't sharp at all. In fact they felt like regular fingers to her despite their look.

"What happened?"

Edward sighed as he explained what happened a week after they last kissed when he visited Grand Pabbie again. How Wrath explained the power struggle between them and its position on what it thought about everything. When he told her that Wrath had an interest in her, she didn't seem the least bit disturbed, in fact she looked like he was confirming a theory of hers. When he finished he looked away and prepared for her to berate him for keeping this from her and endangering her people. Instead he felt her interlace their fingers together before bringing it up to her face and rubbing her cheek along that back of his hand.

"Like I told you, you can learn control."

"I'm still a danger…"

Elsa interrupted him with a finger against his lips. "Do you remember when I asked how you felt around people like me when we first met? You said that you felt the same with anyone else, that even with my power you weren't afraid of me. You know I can cause snow storms as well as create moving ice sculptures if I wanted to but you aren't afraid of me. I'm as much a danger to my people as you are."

Edward looked ready to say something to refute her but she pushed her finger firmer against his mouth to stop him. "No, I'm not going to let you sit here and call yourself a monster anymore. I've let it gone on for too long, as long as you're here you won't ever call yourself that word are we clear?"

The man looked ready to disagree but the rather stern expression the blonde was giving him had him reluctantly agree. Her features softened as she looked back down at their interlaced fingers. Even with the offputting look she still felt the heat that came from the man's other normal looking hand. Bringing it to her lips she kissed each knuckle then raised her free hand to place it on the back of his neck and bring his lips down to her again.

The heat between them returned as Elsa took steps back before pulling him back on the bed over her. Their interlocked hands were squished in between their bodies where she could feel his hard chest against the back of her hand, he could feel the valley of her breasts on his. She could feel him try and pull away his left arm to keep from touching her but she kept it where it was between them, in fact she moved it so the back of his hand glided over her breasts and made her moan in his mouth.

Edward felt his resistance to the blonde die as she began to touch herself with his left arm. His right hand seemed to change sides as it glided down her back before resting on her bottom and giving it a possessive squeeze that made her groan. Her hand trailed itself along all the planes of his muscles that left tingles wherever her fingers touched. It took some effort but he was finally able to work his left hand out of her grip and use it to push himself up breaking their embrace.

The woman's face began to grow impatient as she looked at him with a raised eyebrow that mirrored his earlier 'really' expression.

"Elsa there is one more thing I need to warn you about. This isn't the first time I've been intimate with a woman while I became like this. Before I arrived in Arendelle, there was this woman named Irina who helped me forget what I was for a small enough time to embrace my physical needs. When we were getting into it, I lost control and Wrath got out. It violated her and left scratches as well as bruises across her body, I'm terrified of allowing that to happen to you."

The blonde let her expression disappear off her face as she looked at him with a pensive expression. She could definitely understand his hesitation, while it kind of stung to know she wasn't the first woman he's been with she was glad he was being honest with her. She sat up and wrapped her arms around him in a comforting hug that he couldn't help returning.

"Thank you for telling me that. I understand you're afraid but I trust you completely, I know you won't hurt me."

"How could you possibly know Wrath won't hurt you. It admitted to wanting to _kill _you."

"He. Wrath isn't an it, it's a he. He may have admitted it but like you said, he had the opportunity for a long time and still hasn't. I know you won't let him, I have complete and utter faith in you which is why I need you to trust me."

"Trust you how?"

Elsa raised a hand toward the door and created a thick wall of ice before doing the same to the window, effectively trapping them both inside her room. Edward raised an eyebrow and wanted to ask but the woman moved out of his embrace and pulled him until they were both sitting against the headboard. She took his hands in hers and faced him with a patient smile.

"I want you to let go of all your fears for a moment. Forget how much damage Wrath could do and forget trying to hold him back, just let go and let yourself relax."

The man's mouth dropped at her suggestion and looked ready to outright call her crazy but her beautiful gems for eyes stopped him. She was asking a lot from him right now but she was also trusting him. He eyed the ice walls and saw that they were indeed thick, if Wrath went out of control it would take him quite a bit of time to get out. Edward inwardly scoffed as he caught his mistake, he called the demon a him and not an it.

"So you want me to willing let Wrath take control while you're sitting right in front of me?"

"No, I want you to realize that always fearing what you can do will most likely be what causes you to lose control. You know how my powers work, emotional instability and fear brings great danger, you've been afraid since being here. Imagine what you could do if you weren't afraid, not what Wrath could do, imagine what _you _could do."

She had a point as much as he hated to admit it. Wrath even said that his irrational fear made him an easy target to control but how could he not be afraid. Watching from behind his eyes as he mindlessly slaughtered innocent people left a lasting impression on him. He didn't want to ever witness such destruction knowing it was him doing it ever again.

"...I'm afraid of what will happen."

Elsa placed her forehead against his. "Trust me, the same way I trust you."

Edward took in her scent and with hesistance closed his eyes. He remembered what Wrath said about the channel between them both and them both having a way to open it but only one could dominate the flow of power. He took a breath before he opened it on his side and waited. He instantly felt his consciousness being pulled by a mass of rage that he instantly tried to fight but he then remembered the cool feeling in his hands and the sound of Elsa's breathing in front of him and he ceased his struggle.

His consciousness was completely engulfed in the mass of rage as memories began to flow into his brain one after another. Flashes of his comrades dying to his hands appeared without end and he relived killing all of them including their families. He got to see Ahimoth impaled on his sword and Rakat's army going from village to village pillaging and killing people. It was painful but he kept focus on Elsa in front of him, finally he was brought back to a memory of the Dark Forest where he fought Wrath.

He expected that he would be looking through his own eyes but instead he was looking through Wrath's. He watched Rahim dodge and weave out of the way of the demon's fast lunges and attacks. He could feel his intense rage making him a delectable target and could envision every move Rahim would make. However even with that, his old self kept advancing, he didn't show an ounce of fear as he charged the demon over and over. When Wrath finally impaled his old self, the rage didn't cease one bit, Rahim still had his burning desire to kill and stabbed the demon in the heart.

It was when he looked into his old self's eyes through Wrath's did his consciousness felt another pull that took it away from the memory. He felt himself falling and falling until he finally landed in a courtyard of some kind. Edward looked at himself and noticed that it was him standing here and not looking through a memory of some sort. The sky was completely black that let no light shine through but somehow his surroundings were clear to see. The courtyard was obviously old, there were cracks and vines covering the walls and stairways to the battlements. Weapons were strewn all around sticking out of the ground that were all different in some way.

Walking over to a spear nearby, Edward grabbed its shaft and a sudden rush of memories flowed into his brain. They were of a warrior who used the exact same spear he was holding and being killed by a blur that he didn't register. Letting go of the weapon, the man turned to a dagger next to it and grabbed its handle and was greeted with a different memory. This one the warrior actually saw the blur coming and managed to dodge the initial swing and faced it to see it was Wrath in all its demon glory staring at them like prey. The warrior tried taking a swing at the demon but their enemy vanished in a puff of black dust and appeared right behind them with its claws ready.

Edward let go of the dagger and had a hypothesis of what these weapons represented but there was really only one way to find out. He scoured the rows and rows of weapons stuck into the courtyard until he arrived toward the very middle and recognized his old katana sticking in the center around all the other weapons. He hadn't seen his weapon since leaving Rakat's army, but it was exactly like he remembered. He grabbed the hilt and wasn't surprised to see himself fighting and eventually dying to Wrath, which confirmed his suspicions.

All of these weapons were…

"_Relics of the warriors I've collected throughout the years_."

Edward turned to the voice next to him and didn't jump when he saw Wrath standing next to him looming over the weapon. The demon's left arm had returned to normal as it waited for the man to speak.

"Didn't expect you to be sentimental."

"_It's not sentiment, everytime I take a life, I absorb their hate into my soul and feed off it. These weapons embody all the hate from all the warriors I've fought over my life_."

"What about innocent people, got any items from them?"

Wrath shook its head and for a _slight _moment, hesitated in its answer.

"_They don't make it here, their deaths have no meaning to me whatsoever. Feeding off their fear does nothing for me, its barely worth the effort killing them_."

"So you really are nothing more than an attack dog for Father."

"_You mean __**we**_ _are nothing more than an attack dog for Father_."

"You know that I'm trying to change that."

"_I do know, which is why you're doing quite well reaching this place, especially with my little obstacles in place_."

_So that's what those memory flashes were. _

He had always panicked whenever he relived those memories and that always brought him back out of his mind. This was the first time he was able to relax enough to relive those memories without panicking. He looked at Wrath to see the demon was completely relaxed in this space, there was no anger whatsoever coming off of it.

"So what is this place?"

"_Its my soul._"

That made Edward look around once again. He expected more blood and body parts but instead all he saw was an old empty courtyard that was completely devoid of life. There was no sound, no emotion, it was just..._empty. _

To be honest it was quite lonely just being here.

"_You desired solitude for the longest time, well here it is, what do you think about it_?"

Edward couldn't suppress the shudder he felt. He knew he wanted isolation but this place really screamed it. He honestly thought he'd go insane if he lived here for an extended period of time. It was a blessing to find Arendelle and if this was really Wrath's soul he could see why the demon was docile while staying the lively place.

"_Well that's enough show and tell for one day, you've got more important things to attend to at the moment. However I guess congratulations are in order, you took a big step just getting here. Be sure to thank Elsa properly when you get back._"

As soon as Wrath said that, Edward was violently pulled out of the courtyard and back into Elsa's bedroom where he jerked away from her in surprise. The sudden action surprised the woman but what surprised him was how everything around him felt. His senses were _hyper _aware right now, he could hear the sudden increase in the woman's heartbeat as well as her breathing. The sensitivity his hands felt when he touched hers was a shock to the system and her scent of winter peppermint clogged his nose.

"Edward are you ok?"

Elsa watched the man in front of her look disoriented for a moment before focusing on her and she could still see his blue eyes yet they had a red glint in them. She honestly didn't know what to expect when he closed his eyes, she felt him tighten his hold on her hands but after that he relaxed. She watched all the muscles in his chest just melt as well as the taut ones in his left arm. The woman waited until he opened his eyes to see if he let go but part of her was apprehensive that she would be speaking to Wrath.

"I'm ok, just feeling a little more aware of my surroundings."

"That's good, you seem more relaxed now."

"Yes that's one way to describe it."

"How is Wrath?"

Edward wondered how he should respond to that question. Truthfully, he didn't know what to say, he got to see the demon's soul and to him it looked incredibly lonely. Like the world was in complete and total darkness that far exceeded the depths his mind went to when he grieved a couple of months ago. For once, he actually felt a _little _sorry for Wrath for having such a lonely place be its soul.

"I don't know, it took me to a very lonely place before sending me back here. It showed me the solitude I once desired and now that I have, I'm glad I decided to stay here with you."

The blonde smiled before scooting in and giving him a chaste kiss but to her surprise Edward deepened it considerably. She felt him wrap both his arms around her and maneuver them so she was on top while he laid down against her pillows. His left hand was trailing down her back where she could feel the claws delicately trace her spine through her clothing which made her body arched against his. His right hand went back to her bottom and slid down her legs to guide them so she could straddle his waist.

She was quite curious as to what came over him and had to gather what little brain power she had that he didn't turn to mush to lightly push herself out of the demanding kiss. She sat up to look down at him while she fought to catch her breathe while he rested his hands on her hips and didn't seem tired in the slightest.

"Well that was forward."

"I'm sorry, it's just right now, _all my senses _are just so hyperactive right now. I thought earlier felt like it was too much but now just one cute sound from you drives me crazy. I don't mean to scare you, we can stop, it's just that after letting go, I'm one with my desires and right now, I desire you _so much._"

She could tell he was surprised and a little euphoric in what he was feeling right now because she could _feel _that he was very excited. The prominent firm feeling under her was proof that he really wanted her, while it was nice and flattering, she was still a little nervous. This was her first time and she knew that every woman's first time was painful, so she wanted to go a little slow. She appreciated his offer to stop but she wanted this.

"It's alright, just could you maybe slow down a little bit. I know I may have seemed a little eager at first but after you _really _got into it, you kind of reminded me that this is my first time and that I'm actually nervous…"

Edward smiled and sat up so he was eye level with her. He interrupted her with a soft kiss then broke it to stare at her with a sincere look. "Ok, I'll control myself. We can take this as slow as we need to, truth be told, I actually would like it if we went slow. I want to explore this new form of awareness with you thoroughly."

A blush returned to her cheeks as he kissed her again and true to his word, he took his time. He didn't ravage her mouth like earlier but instead gave it a few light pushes and lazily explored. His hands trailed up her side and back making her arch whenever he found a dip in her skin. Her hands trailed his chest familiarizing every scar and line of muscle with her fingers until she could perfectly picture him in her mind.

After a few moments of touching, Edward's hand dropped down to the knot that held her robe together and gave it a few tugs to grab her attention. They broke their kiss and she gave him a nod where he untied it and gingerly pushed the robe off her shoulders revealing her nightgown before flinging it away. Her nightgown left the top of her shoulders and arms exposed with two small straps securing them while the rest of the thin clothing flowed down her legs.

He could easily make out the prominent tints that came out the front of her nightgown in the brief moment he got to take her in. To Elsa, he immediately began leaving kisses on her neck after removing her robe without taking her in but to him that brief second when he looked back at her after tossing the robe he was able to completely engrave that image in his brain. The licks and nips that he generously showered her neck in had the woman breathing heavier as she placed one of her hands behind his head and pulled him closer.

Frost began to cover the tips of his hair but he didn't noticed, all that was on his mind were the sweet sounds Elsa was making that made his body tremble with desire. He let one hand crawl up her side before cupping one of her breasts and giving it a light squeeze that made her let out a small squeak sound that he found to be absolutely adorable. He backed off her neck and gave her another squeeze and was delighted to hear the sound again.

The small chuckle he made, had her pouting at him with a blush on her face that looked quite delectable. So much so he gave her another kiss while moving his thumb to her nipple and applying pressure on it that made her give out a long moan that he gladly ate. Edward gently laid her back down against her pillows and broke the kiss before bringing his head down to her unoccupied breast and lightly bit into her nipple through the soft material of the gown. The moan she let out that time was quite loud and he was relieved to know those thick ice walls likely blocked out sound.

Overcome with the pleasure his ministrations gave her, Elsa instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his hips to bring him even closer so he could do more. She could feel that firm object in between his legs brush against her core everytime she let out a moan that would cause him to twitch and arch into her but his belt buckle and pants were beginning to irritate her with their abrasive textures.

"P-pants…."

Edward understood what she was saying and capture her mouth again while moving his hands to mess with his belt. After a few attempts, he was able to loosen it then he felt Elsa push them down with her legs where they bundled up at his ankles because of his shoes. Kicking his shoes and pants off, he returned his hands to her hips and lightly pinned it down. With nothing but his underwear and her nightgown separating their most intimate areas, he could almost feel how wet she was when he thrusted his covered member against her area.

Elsa broke the kiss and threw her head back letting out a wail of pleasure as she her body arched and she tried to rub their areas together but he kept her hips in place. Her core was rapidly increasing in temperature as it continued to moisten with each thrust but he wasn't moving as fast as she'd like. The blonde tried grabbing his hips and making him move faster but he was far stronger than her and she couldn't force him to increase his speed. She even started to beg he move faster but she could hear his laugh against her skin as he continued his sweet torture.

Growing irritated, Elsa tried to bring her hands in between them and finish herself off her usual way but he quickly grabbed her wrists and pinned them to the bed. This allowed her to move her hips however he stopped thrusting into her completely and moved out of her reach making her long for him to continue.

"W-what are you doing?"

All she got was a smirk, as he released her hands and began leaving a trail of kisses that started from her lips, down her chest, along her nightgown before ending at her covered core. She could feel him take a whiff of her sex and judging by the exhale that breeched her nightgown and hit her area, he liked what he smelled. He looked up from between her legs asking for permission and she couldn't nod her head yes fast enough.

Edward cupped the back of her knees and brought them up while sliding the nightgown up her body until he could finally see his target. To his great surprise she was almost completely bare down there except for a small patch of blonde hair above his prize. He looked back up at her with a smirk and she couldn't help but cover her face as she blushed from the base of her neck to the tip of her ears. He braced his hands against her hips again and gave her a slow long lick that made her toes curl. The moan she made was muffled because of her hands but she quickly repositioned them to the back of his head to push his tongue in deeper which he allowed her.

The room was filled with her breaths that began to come out in icy puffs as frost began to cover any surface her skin touched. Edward felt the room becoming colder but his body burned so hot that he didn't care in the slightest. The lovely sounds the angel under him made was all that mattered and he pushed his tongue in deeper enjoying her increase in volume. It took him a minute to find her clit and he stopped for a moment before his face morphed into a devious smile.

He opened his mouth and bared his teeth that had sharpened the more he lost himself to the pleasure Elsa's voice gave him and scraped it across the little bud. The woman's eyes widened as the knot inside her that she was mildly aware she was holding snapped and she screamed Edward's name as she hit her climax. Pulling his teeth back, he clamped his mouth over her sex and drank her sweet nector that lied within. He let her hips up and she wrapped his head in a vice with her legs and hands.

After a moment he felt her relax and put her head back against the pillow with her eyes closed. He crawled up to see her breathing heavily and looking quite flushed. He decided to give her a minute to catch her breath as he idly started playing with her braid. It took her a few moments but she was finally able to open her eyes and lazily turn her head toward the man next to her.

"I-is that it?"

"It can be, I'm more than satisfied with the outcome of this evening."

She propped herself on her elbows and could easily see the tint in his underwear that suggested that he was ready for more then sat back on her pillow. He was being a gentleman offering to stop here but she wasn't done yet, exhausted yes from the release he caused but she just needed a second to catch her breath. With a huff, she rolled herself on top of him gave him a small kiss before putting her forehead against his chest.

"No, we aren't done yet, you haven't had a chance to finish."

Edward wrapped his arms around her waist as he gave the top of her head a kiss.

"You look too tired to even get up, it's fine really."

Elsa seemed to take that as a challenge as she pushed herself with a violent motion and straddled him. The pout on her face was still adorable and he was about to sit up and give it a kiss but she put her hands on his chest and pushed him back down. He raised an eyebrow and she pointed her finger at him like he was a child that wouldn't listen.

"No you stay still, I'll do the work this time."

He was in no rush to argue as he relaxed into the pillows and watched her gather up her nightgown before pulling it over her head. Finally she revealed herself to him and he forgot how to breathe for a moment. She was truly an angel, her skin was perfectly flawless and her figure surely made every woman around her envious. Her breasts weren't large but were perky and with tipped with rosy red nipples. Elsa watched his facial expression go blank when she removed her nightgown and began to feel a little self conscious when he didn't say anything. She was about to cover herself but his hands were already gently gripping her wrists.

"Don't, you look perfect."

She blushed at the simple yet endearing way he said it and relaxed. He let her hands go and he raised himself and her up enough to remove the last garment of clothing between them before settling back down on the bed. When their intimate areas finally touched against one another without any barriers they both shudder in anticipation. They were going to truly connect with one another in just a few moments.

Edward stared up at her with a meaningful expression asking her without saying a word if she really wanted to go through with this. She nodded with a shy smile before she raised herself as he lined himself up. They interlocked both their hands together and with a breath to calm her raging heart, Elsa slowly began to sink onto his length. How she could be so hot confounded Edward as he fought to keep his body completely still as she took more of him inside her. When they both felt her barrier, they froze.

Elsa had a determined expression on her face and before he could say anything she abruptly dropped her weight and impaled herself on him. He could tell from the way she gritted her teeth as well as squeezed his fingers that she was in pain. Edward was afraid to get up and hold her because he didn't want to move and cause her more pain so he remained perfectly still and brought her hands to his mouth then gave them kisses. A few moments past as she adjusted to his girth and the pain of her first time before she was able to unclench her fingers and place them on his chest.

Elsa would never admit this but she had some books that were very _detailed _in their content when it came to the couple's physical indulgence. It was thanks to this she let out her pent up sexual frustration over the years, it was now time to put them to another use.

She rolled her hips and was delighted that she was able to get him to moan as his hands tightened on her hips. After a moment of getting sweet revenge for him teasing her earlier she started to raise herself before dropping her weight back down on him. The jolt of pleasure she felt of him filling her was euphoric as she raked her nails down his chest as she threw her head back and mewled. Edward on the other hand couldn't help thrusting into her meeting her halfway as she rode him. His senses that were hyper aware before were completely overloaded when they tried to describe to him how she felt wrapped around him. He had trouble remembering his own name but he sure as hell remembered Elsa's because he kept whispering it over and over like a mantra.

He had to force his eyes open to watch her angelic form and drank in the sight of her on top. The flushed look she had was a sight to see with her braid behind her back and some of her hair being messy. The way her breasts jiggled with each thrust drew in his hands to cover them and pinch her twin peaks making her hiss his name.

The room was filled with the sound of the two lovers enjoying their sex and the frost that began to form around the couple didn't break their concentration. Their pace went to languid and patient to frenzied and indulgent as Edward sat up and held Elsa to his chest as he increased the speed and force of his movements. The blonde's hands were wrapped around his shoulders with her mouth next to his ear telling him to move faster and faster, her earlier nervous crushed under her euphoria.

Everytime she asked him to thrust harder, he obliged her until she lost the ability to speak and could do nothing but hold on for the ride. When he was sure he couldn't hear her speak anymore he pushed her down so that he was on top and was able to wrench himself from her grip before grabbing her hips and bringing them to his. Elsa let out indistinguishable sounds as she grabbed her bed sheets and screamed until her voice was hoarse.

She had wanted him to finish but he forgot to warn her that with his body _all _of his bodily functions were enhanced. The amazing stamina he had, translated to this aspect as well. Usually he'd stop when the passion of feeling died as it did with the first four girls or when he got control of Wrath after Irina.

With Elsa, he never wanted this to end and he was in complete control in the moment and he enjoyed the new senses he had.

It took a while and he was sure that both he and her had climaxed multiple times but he finally ran out of stamina and couldn't help but collapse next to the blonde. Both of them were breathing heavily and drenched in sweat, frost in Edward's case but they were too spent to care. He looked over to the woman and tiredly raised a hand and poked her cheek which she groaned and tried to move away. Not giving her a chance to escape, he rolled over and draped a heavy arm over her which ensnared her completely.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"A place where you won't poke me when I'm trying to catch my breath."

"Good luck with that, I got you trapped completely."

"If my head wasn't spinning and my body would listen to me, I'd freeze you to the bed and clean myself up."

"Then it's a good thing the cold doesn't bother me anyway."

"That's my line…"

Edward chuckled as he placed a kiss on the back of her neck before forcing both himself and her up and maneuvering them so that they were against her pillows. He then reached over and grabbed the blanket they kicked over and draped it over their bodies before resting against his pillow. He would've liked to get dressed and drag himself out the castle but with the thick ice walls trapping them inside and Elsa being in no condition to dissolving them, he stuck. Not that he was complaining, he had no desire to get up. Here he was sharing a bed with the most beautiful woman he's ever seen who had helped heal his broken heart and soul with her welcoming embrace. He wasn't going anywhere and that was perfectly fine with him.

Edward looked over to the blonde's still back and guessed she was sleeping, his senses had returned to normal after he spent himself. He would've liked to bask in the afterglow with her a little more but could understand her exhaustion, it was getting harder to keep his eyes open as well. He used on his arms to cover his eyes and exhaled while letting the other one drape above Elsa's. He was about to drift off when he felt something squirm onto his chest before settling there. The man moved his arm to see the top of Elsa's head on his him, he felt their legs intertwine and he brought his other arm over and rested around her.

The lovers drifted off to sleep the struggles of their lives far away from their minds and the obstacles in their future looming ahead.

Tonight though...everything was perfect.

* * *

**Finally did a lemon chapter, I hope you all enjoyed it. Maybe I could've added captions where it really started but things change when you're writing you know. Anyway i'm about to go watch Frozen 2 in an hour so feel free to pm me if you want to discuss it if ya'll watched it. Also do me a tiny favor. DROP A REVIEW XD**


	28. Chapter 28

Elsa woke first with a slow groan as she lifted her head from an unfamiliar pillow of some kind. It was firmer and warmer than her usual one, not uncomfortable, just different. She opened her eyes and let the brief haze that clouded them to dissipate as she noticed that her room was covered in frost. That was odd, she hadn't had a frost covered room waking up in quite a while, she also didn't understand why there were two thick ice walls covering her door and window.

She gingerly sat up and let the covers fall from her chest and that's when she felt the air hit her bare body. Upon realizing she has naked, Elsa snatched at the covers and brought them to her chest her mind racing to remember why she wasn't wearing a nightgown. It wasn't until the heavy arm that was wrapped around her waist moved a bit in response to her sudden movement did she turn to her side and saw a peaceful Edward still sleeping.

Upon seeing his face, _everything, _came back in a flash. The dance, their talk from last night, Wrath, and finally their dance of carnal passion.

Her face heated up and for a moment she felt woozy, not in the way she was sick or horrified with what she'd done. She was woozy with all her feelings catching up to her that set off a swarm of butterflies in her belly. Last night was something that she would never forget, her brain was telling her that this wasn't ok and that as Queen she made a massive mistake but her heart vehemently disagreed. Seeing his face in such a cute and relaxed way made her heart melt.

He was usually hesitant and guarded but last night he was as open with her as she'd ever seen him before. He was gentle with her and saw to her needs first before his own. She knew men always enjoyed the pleasure they could receive from a woman and could easily see them not caring for their partner's pleasure. Edward catered to her first and went at her pace, he waited patiently for her to adjust to her first time and let her have control until he was confident she wasn't in any pain.

She blushed furiously when she remembered their last few moments, she had asked him to increase the pace and he obliged her before taking over reducing her to a quivering mess. She had _no _idea where all that sexual frustration came from, perhaps it was from her years of isolation. Or maybe it was the _small _pang of jealousy she felt when she saw Anna and Kristoff or other people being affectionate. Wherever it came from, Edward ignited all of it with his burning touch and she wanted it to be sated.

_Which he did very well._

Now that her haze of passion was behind her, she could think a little and not feel as much as last night. They didn't really get to talk where this left them, they both had feelings for each other and he wanted to stay for her but there was still the matter of everyone else. The council first and foremost would not support a courtship between them so if they were going to do this, it would have to be secret. The main problem with that was if Edward could keep his cool while it was secret and him not feeling like she was ashamed of him. That couldn't be further from the truth, he was one of the people that saw her as just Elsa and couldn't place a high enough value on that.

There was just so much danger if they were discovered, the council could use this to remove her from the throne. If Elsa was being _really _honest, she wouldn't be devastated if that came to pass, Anna would succeed the throne and with her marriage coming up soon, the council would have no choice but to recognize her position. In fact, her sister already being wed and being very popular with the other kingdoms puts her in a more stable position than the one she has as a single Queen right now.

The only problem was that Elsa didn't want to put her sister in any more political crosshairs yet. Sometimes she really regretted giving the council equal power as an olive branch to make up for her coronation. Realistically, she still had more power and allies than the council, however they had experience as well as connections that far surpassed hers. She wasn't keen on making an enemy out of them, especially when her father hand picked them to oversee Arendelle alongside him.

There was no question they were useful but they were rooted in the old ways and despite their words she knew they feared her powers. If it became known that she was courting a man who was once a soldier to the Blackdust military as well as had the ability to decimate an elite part of that same military then they might feel that she was consolidating her power with his.

"What's wrong?"

Edward's deep voice snapped her out of her thoughts as she turned around to see him staring at her with a concerned expression. She just now felt him gently rubbing her spine which would've sent pleasurable shivers through her body last night but right now it relaxed her.

"Nothing, I'm just thinking."

He immediately frowned and sat up so that they were shoulder to shoulder. She should've known better, she could easily see when something bothered him, she should've known he could do the same to her. The hand that was rubbing her back vanished was brought to his front where he interlocked his fingers and gave her a patient stare. She instantly missed the contact and tried not to stare into his eyes, he'd be able to see what she was thinking if she made eye contact.

She was thinking of ways to explain to him what was on her mind without hurting him, all the while expecting him to ask her again what was wrong. He however said nothing, it seemed he was content on patiently waiting for her to open up to him. It was such a different route from the way Anna took who would constantly try to get her to open up. She was more like an impatient invader who just rammed the gates that led to her thoughts, he on the other hand was like an invader who knew he had the upper hand and prefered a surrender. The blonde had built up a resistance to her sister's methods, she had no such thing with his and found herself talking before she could hold out any longer.

"I'm just thinking about…" She waved her hand toward the ice walls, frost, and the two of them. "...all this."

"You're thinking you made a mistake?"

Elsa immediately snapped up her head and whirled on him before blurting out a particular loud 'no' that had him look to the ice wall covering her door for a second then back to her.

"It's not that, it's just last night we didn't really get to talk and define what _this _is between us. I truly value the night we shared but it made me wonder what we were going to do in the coming days ahead of us."

Edward honestly hadn't _really _thought past what he discussed with Anna last night. He knew that they would obviously had to keep it a secret but he didn't know how long that would last. Sooner or later, something would happen where someone would find out that there was something between them. As much as he would like her to remain 'single' in the eyes of her court, he knew the political game enough to know she'd need a King somewhere down the line. He personally didn't believe a monarch needed another to rule, Blackdust had single rulers for a very long time.

_Mostly because the Kings would rather secure their thrones than try and have a family. _

Alrick would've been one of the very few Kings to want his wife ruling alongside him but unfortunately she was killed some time ago. After that, he devoted himself to his kingdom completely so the odds of him marrying were very slim. The difference between Arendelle and Blackdust was that this monarchy was passed down from a family rather than killed for by the strong. Here, they felt that marriage brought power, which he knew Elsa didn't want that. She wanted peace, which unfortunately made it not too difficult for him to see her marrying someone else if it ensured peace for her kingdom.

It wasn't like he could marry her, he knew he was getting _way _far ahead than where they were right now but he was being practical. He didn't have an ounce of noble blood in his body and he was banished from his own kingdom. If he thought the odds were stacked against Kristoff before than he'd go insane listing what was against him getting a 'happily ever after' with Elsa.

There was however one thing he knew.

He gently grasped her hand with his right one and rubbed it making her look back at him. "I understand that it may seem hard, but I know that it isn't too hard for me to do it for you."

His words got the desired effect as she smiled before leaning into him to give him a kiss which he happily returned. When they broke apart, Elsa leaned her head against his shoulder while he looked at a clock in the room. It was still quite early that no one would be up for about four more hours. This would've been a good time for him to leave and act like he had returned home after the ball, however the person next to him easily surpassed that desire.

He unlaced their fingers before bringing his arm around her waist and pulling her back down with him until they were both lying down against the pillows. They then just sat there for an hour, they agreed to keep this a secret and only indulge in their affections at night when it was safe. They also agreed to tell Anna and Kristoff later when the four of them were alone, perhaps they could go on a picnic or something. After they finished discussing their relationship they fell silent and simply enjoyed each other's company, well aware that they were both still bare as the day they were born.

Edward made no move to initiate another carnal dance with the woman next to him, he was quite content with idly playing with her hair that had finally come out of her braid and moving onto her skin before going back to her hair. He didn't realize how much hair she had and how thick it was but it still flowed through his fingers. He still preferred her braid over her shoulder, it just screamed 'Elsa' like Anna's pigtails matched her.

The blonde was tracing one of the scars that covered his torso as she had done with a few others before working her way back to the ones she first started with. He honestly wondered when she'd finally ask where they were from, he didn't mind telling her, at this point he'd tell her anything. Nevertheless she remained silent with a pensive look on her face. Deciding to ask later, something occurred to him when she moved to a new scar that made her go from his chest to his left arm.

He raised his arm up and flexed his fingers, right now the claws at the tips of his fingers were completely blunt as he was relaxed. Last night toward the end of their time together, he wasn't relaxed as he lost himself to her embrace. Connecting the dots in his head, Edward pulled the blanket off the two of them before rolling to his side and giving the blonde an intense stare.

"What is it?"

"Did I hurt you anywhere?"

Elsa looked somewhat confused at the question and was about to tease him but when she saw the worried look in her eyes she knew to take this seriously. She scooted closer to him and softly put her hands against his cheeks.

"No, you didn't hurt me at all last night. Even with how out of hand things got, you kept my safety in mind."

It wasn't that he didn't believe her, but he really didn't want her to just be saying this to make him feel better so he scanned her body looking for any claw marks or bruises. When his head began to move out of her grip, she firmly made him look back at her and brought his forehead down to hers so she could look into his eyes,

"I'm ok, I know you would never hurt me. Or willingly let Wrath hurt me, if he really wanted to. You just need to see yourself the way I see you."

It was hard to argue against those beautiful blue gems. He found himself nodding again as they rested against the pillows again. For a few more moments neither of them said a thing, until a sly grin made its way onto Edward's face.

"So...do I call you Elsa now, or is it still 'Ice Queen'?"

"People call me the _Snow _Queen Edward, and privately you can call me Elsa."

"Well I don't know about Snow Queen Elsa, because last night you made a lot of ice and not a shred of snow. I mean look around the room, its covered in frost, _plus _you got more than enough on me when your mind wasn't..._all there_."

His sly grin turned into an ear to ear grin when he saw her bury her face into his chest to hide the blush that covered her face.

"There's patches anywhere you put your hands, like over there and there and also in my hair when I-"

A layer of frost flashed across his lips that forced him to stop speaking. He looked down at the woman on his chest and could feel a smile against his chest.

"Finally some peace and quiet."

Edward rolled his eyes before bringing his left hand to his lips and simply flicked the patch of frost which caused it to crumble.

"As I was saying before I was _rudely _interrupted by a certain _Ice _Queen, you got frost in my hair after gripping it so hard."

Elsa lifted her head and raised an eyebrow at him for a moment before putting on a regal face and sitting up. She kept her back straight and with grace and poise that shouldn't be combined with her angelic beauty, she rose off the bed with her back to him and her head up.

"Well if my ice is so bothersome then I guess we have no further business. I need to go freshen myself up, perhaps today there will be a nice gentlemen who would appreciate my ice, Kristoff certainly does but he's engaged to my sister. Such a pity, perhaps she won't mind trading with me…"

She kept her regal persona up until she felt two arms wrap around her waist and lift her in the air causing her to start squealing and giggling. She felt herself be spun around in the arms until she was staring down at Edward. She tried to regain her regal mask but when he brought her down for a kiss, she melted into his embrace. Her feet were still off the ground as he held her up by her waist so she wrapped her arms around his neck and had to lean down to deepen the kiss.

She felt herself being brought back to the bed and was immediately pinned by the mass of muscle above her. Two hands with different textures traced up her sides making her squirm in their grasp. The right one traveled upwards and cupped one of her breasts while the other scraped its fine claws down her spine drawing a moan from her captive mouth. Elsa was tempted to lose herself in her pleasure but she knew that she had a day ahead of her.

With great reluctance, she pushed him up enough for them to break the kiss so she could fix him with an amused expression.

"If I didn't know better, it would seem like you're jealous."

"Of Kristoff? Of course I'm jealous, you see how happy the oaf is, anybody would be envious of how happy he is. That's not the issue, the issue is you thinking about being with someone else with me _right here._"

"Come on Edward, you know you can't get territorial if we are to make this work."

"Yeah in _public, _when it's just the two of us, I'll be as territorial as Sven and his carrots. Just give me a few minutes, I'll have you thinking about nothing else but me."

"I'm sure you could but you need to get going, you need to sneak out before anyone can see you and I need more sleep for the day ahead."

Edward gave her his best attempt at puppy dog eyes that even included him digging his chin against her collarbone so she could only see his eyes. The blond raised an eyebrow at him and held his stare not looking at all affected by his attempt. After a few moments the man gave up and placed his forehead against her chest before rolling over. Swinging his legs off the bed, he began to gather his clothes oblivious to the pleased expression the blonde had on her face as she watched him move around.

With a wave of her hand, all the frost that she could see evaporated and she watched him to begin to dress himself. In no time he was tying his tie before tucking it in his vest and finally reached down to pick up coat. Upon looking at it, he turned to the woman with a bemused expression while picking it up for her to see. The intricate pattern of light frost that graced the back was quite artistic and would usually require great precision to accomplish, something neither of them had much of in the last few hours.

"Did you do this?"

"The blonde scooted up to closely look at the design with awe, it was certainly her ice and she had no idea when she had done it. The crocus designs and her personalized snowflake stood out the most making it quite impossible for anyone but her to do so.

"I didn't mean to, must've been when I grabbed your lapels. Give me a moment, I'll remove it."

When Elsa raised a hand to undo her work, Edward immediately snatched the coat out of her sight.

"No, I like it. I mean I can't really wear it but still, it looks nice."

The blonde shrugged as she watched him roll it up before picking up the discarded blanket from earlier and tucking her into bed. When he was done, he gave her a kiss on her forehead as she melted the ice walls covering the window and door.

"Alright sleep tight, Elsa. You got quite the day ahead of you, just make sure you have some energy leftover for later. After all, today is a _special _day."

"Oh and what day would that be?"

"I'll tell you later, I have some errands to run that have just been brought to my attention."

"I'm sure you do."

With one last smile, Edward placed his ear on the door and upon hearing no one in the hallway, he unlocked it and stepped out leaving Elsa alone. He looked at the window across her room and thought about the time it currently was. Guard shifts had already happened less than an hour ago so he could use that to his advantage. Edward couldn't keep the bounce out of his step as he made his way down the hallway and slid down the staircase much like Anna did. When he arrived at the front door, he happily clapped both guards on their shoulders startling them.

"Hey you two, drew the short straw with morning shift?"

"Yeah, after pulling security last night we only had a few hours of sleep before coming back here."

Edward nodded sympathetically but the grin on his face was too bright to make the gesture seem genuine. The first guard he was talking to looked at the other guard confused before asking.

"What's got you in such a good mood."

"Oh nothing, I just did Stonewell a _huge _favor so now he owes me big. I'd advise we keep this between us because if he finds out anyone else but me knows there will be hell to pay, get what I'm saying?"

"Is it really that bad?"

"I'll put it to you this way, _anyone else _that would ask for this would be on their knees begging, so we all know the Captain would rather be murdered then beg for anything right? Well he didn't beg but he asked me this, and I accepted so now I just need to claim my reward."

"Will we be able to see you get yours from the old guy, I'm sure it'd be entertaining."

"Trust me, I'm saving it for a special occasion, a chance like this is too valuable to use without thought."

The other guard then decided to join in as something occurred to him.

"And here I was thinking you'd ask the Captain to allow you to beat on Hector."

"Not going to lie that is so very tempting but Her Majesty would be very cross if I decided to assault her personal guard. Despite how much I _really _want to."

"Who knows maybe one day he'll give you an excuse."

"That'll be the day. Let me tell you if that day ever came to pass, I'll take every guard in Arendelle out drinking, Stonewell can go through his entire stash of cigars in anger for all I care."

"Sounds like a dream."

"Yeah, anyway I gotta get going. Remember, you two didn't see me here. Keep this between us and I'll share my winnings with you guys when I get my reward."

The two guards looked at one another for a moment sharing a look at his request before the first guard turned with a neutral expression.

"I'm sorry but it's our duty to report any suspicious activity to the Captain, and you are being quite suspicious right now."

Edward gave them a 'Really' expression as they both didn't budge.

"I'll pay for the first three rounds of drinks next time ya'll go drinking."

The two guards once again looked at each other before the second one shrugged.

"Deal. See you Friday night at the Lumberjack. Hope you weren't planning on buying anything expensive soon."

The new instructor waved them off before giving them a rude gesture with his middle finger before leaving the courtyard. Even with that slight hiccup he still had a spring in his step. He knew he would have to change when he got back to his room and hide his new coat so no one would see the personalized touch Elsa put on it. It was a shame, he really did like it and wearing it would feel like he and the blonde had a special connection, which they did.

But life wasn't that easy and he needed to suck it up.

Besides, with today being the summit, he had a free pass. Since Stonewell would be dealing with security and he _still _wasn't officially apart of the Arendelle guard, he couldn't get assigned anywhere. In addition the training sessions for the week had been cancelled to accommodate the Gathering as well as tournament to select the Queen's personal guard. This meant that he could finally search the village for the perfect gift for Elsa's birthday. He was sure Anna had something planned later tonight for her sister, that meant that Kristoff would likely be dragged to help the redhead. So he'd be on his own when he got to his room and got ready for the day.

It took a while to get to his room, get out of his clothing, get clean, put on his usual attire, and grab something to eat before he began his search. For obvious reasons, he avoided the sisters' favorite bakery so another incident wouldn't occur. He spent the majority of the day dipping into every single shop he could find. He went from clothing stores to fish stalls because they were along the way before taking a rest at the town square.

His search had been fruitless and somewhat demoralizing but he still had time. After the first few shops, it occurred to him, he had no idea what he should get her. Realistically speaking, she could have any physical object she wanted with just a few words. There was also the fact she could also _create _anything she wanted in her hands whenever she wanted, which was the cause of his current headache. It didn't take long for him to admit that blindly searching through Arendelle would yield no results, so he decided to take a break and relax his mind.

As he waited, he watched the townspeople go by with them preparing for something. They were putting up banners and reefs along their doors and street posts. The young man knew it was the Winter Solstice right about now but he couldn't think of any significant holidays they could possibly be preparing for. He continued to sit there and watch people pass by him, hoping that something would take his mind off his recent dead end on getting a gift for Elsa.

Maybe some divine entity heard his call but he happened to look over his shoulder to see a carriage rolling by. A brief memory flash of Elsa being kidnapped in a carriage had the young man study it longer than he usually would've. There were large boxes stacked on the back with ropes securing them to carriage that was being pulled by two horses. The driver was a middle-aged man with a mop of black hair and a thick mustache. He was wearing a thick winter coat and boots that was covered in snow, likely from being up in the mountain. That wasn't what captured Edward's attention, what did was the passenger. Mr. Jorgen was wearing a greatcoat with a double cape and a top hat that was recently snowed on.

_Must've been in the mountains._

He hadn't seen the older man in a while since he left to be an instructor. Getting to his feet, the young man walked to the carriage where the man was getting off the passenger seat.

"Remember Mr. Claudius, you need to get these supplies loaded onto the ship for our Southern Isle guests. They may have had one bad Prince try to kill our beloved Queen but they are still guests here and we run a legitimate business." The driver waved the older man off before heading toward the docks leaving an exasperated Mr. Jorgen.

"Rough day at the office?"

The older man couldn't help but jump a bit before whirling around to see the somewhat sheepish young man who didn't mean to scare him. Putting a hand to his chest to calm his fast beating heart, Mr. Jorgen's face lit up when he recognized the person behind him.

"Well if it isn't Young Edward, how are you doing? To answer your question, it's been a little slow going, some of my workers are dragging their feet to help our Southern Isle guests."

"Because of a certain Prince trying to hurt their ruling monarchy, _twice._"

"Yes that may be true but its only one bad egg, that's no excuse to let your work become sloppy. Makes me wish I still had you down at the docks, no complaints, hard worker, and lightened the workload for the next morning. These boys could learn something from you, but I suppose it's better you're teaching our guard how to be better at their job. Not that they weren't bad, just one can always improve if they wish to learn."

"I think you might be too kind when describing me."

"Nonsense! You're becoming a hot topic around these parts, the stranger who showed up here who saved the Queen from an army of bandits. The only reason, people aren't busting down your door everyday is because you're either at the castle or they don't know what you look like."

"It wasn't an army and I got lucky, I'm sure the Captain would've been able to resolve the situation if you gave him more time."

"Oh I'm sure he would. I remember when he first arrived in Arendelle, angry little scrapper. Didn't let anyone tell him anything and didn't do anything he was told. Back when our previous King was just starting out, they used to butt heads a lot. I remember once, the Captain dueled the King over some trivial matter. His Majesty put up a good fight but, Stonewell was born in a war torn world and grew up learning to live in it."

Edward nodded and couldn't help but think of his own childhood. He may have been spared the horrors of war until he was older but there were times he would think growing up was harder than being in the Mystic Guard. The things he's done just because he was following orders and wanted his revenge still weighed him down. "I can relate…"

Mr. Jorgen noticed the far away expression the young man took and remained silent for a moment, waiting for him to snap out of it on his own. When he didn't seem to be making any progress, the older man decided to give a helping hand by clapping him on the shoulder.

"Well that's in the past and look at him now, Captain of the Arendelle guard. Even with everything, he turned out quite well. When I spoke with him a week ago, he told me that he was helping out this little spitfire that reminded him of himself as a kid. Took me a while but now I see that you two are somewhat alike, except that you don't smoke your weight in tobacco."

That earned a laugh from Edward, the old man _loved _his tobacco. Stonewell was very fast for a guy his age and build, if he stopped smoking and got better lungs, he'd probably be the best warrior in Arendelle history.

_If he already wasn't. _

"Now enough about Old Stone, what have you been up to? Usually it's all hands on deck with the foreign dignitaries being here, why aren't you helping?"

"Old Stone?" Edward couldn't help but chuckle at the nickname, oh how he was going to love seeing the Captain later. "Well I'm technically not an _official _part of the Arendelle guard, so I wasn't assigned anywhere. I just help out with some errands here and there before doing my own thing. Right now, I'm trying to pick out a gift and to be honest it hasn't been going well."

Mr. Jorgen couldn't help the sly smile that worked his way onto his face as he scooted closer to the young man looking for anything that might give him a way. "A gift? Who's the lucky girl?"

"None of your business, I just can't seem to decide what to get her."

The older man laughed as he clapped Edward on the shoulder and began leading him toward the docks. "Say no more, my young friend. Why don't you come with me? I have some documents, I need to look over but I'm sure I can give you some ideas along the way."

* * *

Elsa couldn't help the humming in her seat as she waited for the rest of the kingdoms to arrive for the summit. After her night, she definitely had a glow to her that only those closest to her noticed. She had decided to go with her usual Snow Queen dress and traditional braid when she recalled what Edward said when he was playing with her hair. While he did like her dress from last night, he felt that it wasn't really something that expressed 'Elsa'. He confessed that he rather she didn't try to put on a persona that wasn't her, even if it was for another kingdom. He understood why she would of course and didn't push the subject, but she could see what he meant.

So that when Gerda arrived to help her prepare for the day, she was quite surprised to see the blonde going with her usual attire. When she asked what caused the change of wardrobe, Elsa responded that she wanted her guests to get to know Elsa not just the Queen of Arendelle. The older woman had decided to say nothing but shared a warm smile when she could see the spring in the woman's step. The blonde knew she should tone down her giddiness but she couldn't help it, part of her was still on cloud nine and had no intention of coming down. Hopefully a boring summit meeting will keep everyone's attention off her.

As all the delegations filled into the room and took their seats, Elsa looked over to see Alrick sitting in his chair looking into his interlocked fingers with a focused expression. He had been the first to arrive, even before her and had thanked her once again for allowing her to address the summit. She assured him it was no problem and wished him the best before taking her seat. As it got closer and closer to the beginning of the summit, there were two things missing.

King Alrick's guard as well as the delegation from the Southern Isle.

One of the agreements of the summit was that any kingdom was allowed to bring one guard with them for protection. This would alleviate any attempts of assassinations and was an olive branch to show that Arendelle was a safe place. Alrick did not seem to mind being the only one without a guard, now that she thought about it, he probably didn't need one.

That left the Southern Isle delegation that she hadn't seen since they arrived here. In fact, they hadn't even attended the ball last night. She didn't mind to be perfectly honest. Elsa didn't feel like ascertaining if Hans was the only bad Prince from their kingdom at the moment. Now that they were the only ones missing, she couldn't help but feel her happy aura beginning to dim and get annoyed that they were late. She told the other kingdoms that they'd give the Southern Isles a few more minutes to arrive but quickly grew tired and was about to just start without them when the doors opened.

The blonde looked up expecting to see the Southern Isle Prince rushing in but it was Captain Stonewell with a deep frown on his face. He walked around the room while giving King Alrick a brief look that was returned before reaching the Queen. The old man leaned down and whispered something in Elsa's ear that made her eyes widen as she shot to her feet.

"Captain, I want extra guards posted at the castle as well as along the harbor and around any foreign ships."

"Already done Your Majesty."

"Good, I wish to see for myself, so we will be leaving immediately to go to the harbor."

"I would advise against that, it could still not be safe."

"I understand that but nevertheless this is something I need to confirm."

Bowing to the young woman, Stonewell led her out of the room and opened the door for her when one of the dignitaries rose from their seat.

"Queen Elsa, where are you going, we have a summit to conduct."

"I apologize Your Majesties but I've just received word that Prince Albert of the Southern Isles has just been found murdered in his ship. I would ask you all to remain here for safety concerns and to finish the summit but will not stop you if you wish to return to your ships."

With that the blonde left the room with Hector and Stonewell in tow as they quickly arrived at the docks where a wall of guards was surrounding the Southern Isle ship. There were a few people sitting around wondering what was happening but Elsa paid them no mind as the wall opened for her and she walked on the ship. She had to take some deep breaths as she had a slight fear of boats after her parents dying on a ship but couldn't let that stop her as she approached one of the guards who was waiting for her.

"Your Majesty…"

"Where's the Prince's body Sergeant?"

The Sergeant led her to the Captain's cabin, and hesitantly opened it and allowed her entry. When Elsa stepped through those doors, part of her wished she hadn't. She could easily see the resemblance between Hans and Albert when it came to their faces but she couldn't stop her hand coming to her mouth to stop the wave of nausea hitting her. The Prince's body was torn into pieces, not to mention cut all over and almost devoid of skin. The cabin was steeped in the stench of blood and the blonde could barely hold the horrified gasp that was in her throat when she saw the pain filled expression of Prince Albert's head that was on the Captain's desk.

Feeling that was enough, Stonewell lightly pushed the woman out of the cabin before closing the doors. He placed a comforting hand on her back and watched her try and compose herself for a moment before turning to the Sergeant.

"Where are the guards and the crew?"

"They're below decks, along with the Captain. We found the bodies stuffed into barrels below, whoever did this, they didn't want to leave any witnesses."

"Any clues?"

"Just one."

The Sergeant took out a rolled piece of parchment that looked like a letter of some kind. The specks of blood that covered the parchment was somewhat disconcerting but nevertheless, the old man took it and opened it to read.

_Your time is running out Mystic._

Stonewell was somewhat pleased to know the letter didn't obviously allude to danger for the Queen, however he couldn't help the sigh that escaped his lips. When Elsa finally composed herself enough to speak, she turned to the Captain with a curious expression.

"What does it say?"

The older man handed her the letter before fishing out a cigar.

"Just that we need to have a talk with Alrick the Mystic."

* * *

**Hey guys sorry for the long update. I honestly haven't been feeling the desire to write at all. I got so many ideas just no drive. Not gonna lie, my heart took a pretty good kick in the nuts and needed a minute. I'll try to drop another update soon and I'm thinking of making 7k chapters so I can pump them out sooner. Drop me some pm or reviews to tell me what you're thinking.**

**ANYWAY, this chapter was meant to be a fluff piece but we gotta move things along. Father's got plans you know and I'm sure you all are eager to find out so I can stop talking nonsense. I got work Monday so idk how that'll affect my update timeline since i'm hearing we got a heavy workload, so probably expect an update next weekend. **

**Remember to drop a review or pm if you need to contact me, I'll get back to you when I can. :P**


	29. Chapter 29

**PLEASE READ. LOOKING FOR BETA READER PLEASE SEND PMS. **

**Also quick shoutout to ****IAmWhoIAm317****, ****loney****, and ****ssj5grl** **for the reviews really appreiciate them. And to ssj5grl, I see the fatal mistake and will get around to correcting it and its why I'm asking for a beta reader so I'll have less mistakes. **

* * *

Elsa briskly walked back to the conference room that had been cleaned up for the summit. She was actually surprised to see that all the dignitaries had actually remained inside the room. When she walked through the doors with her guards, all the foreign security immediately rose ready to defend their sovereign. The dignitaries themselves were quietly talking amongst one another, all except Alrick who was still staring into his hands.

"Queen Elsa, is it true that one of the Princes of the Southern Isles has been assassinated?" The blonde expected question as soon as she returned and projected her voice to address the room.

"That is correct. Prince Albert and his entourage from the Southern Isles are all dead. Whoever did this was skilled enough to do so without anyone hearing the commotion of them killing the Prince. Currently, we have no suspects, but my guards are scouring the entirety of Arendelle looking for any traces."

The room busted it out with dignitaries being outraged at the notion that an assassination could be carried out right under their noses. It was honestly a really bad scene when some of them started to get out of their seats and prepared to leave. Throughout the commotion, Alrick still hadn't moved from his thinking posture.

"Queen Elsa, an assassination in another kingdom could be treated as an act of war! If the guilty party is not found soon, the Southern Isle could break away from our alliance agreement and start a war that will draw in many kingdoms!" Other dignitaries agreed with the sentiment as Elsa frowned wondering what she could say to placate them.

"Then it would be wise to not place blame on Her Majesty and focus on finding the culprits."

The entire room went silent at the quiet voice that came from Alrick's lips. His eyesight was still on his hands as he continued to speak.

"While its true it could be considered an act of war if an assassination of a royal family member took place in another kingdom, that is only true if the kingdom committed the assassination. So far, Queen Elsa has made no move to invoke war of any kind, even when her family has been threatened _twice _by the Southern Isles. Politically speaking, the Southern Isles would not have the claim that they have been wronged and deserved retribution. That would mean they would be hard-pressed to find allies willing to attack Arendelle given its a natural trade nexus as well as being protected by an allied pact. So war is a very unlikely scenario even if the guilty party isn't found. On top of all that, there aren't many people who would wish to attack a person who is able to freeze an entire kingdom in a single night. Even if the Southern Isles found allies who would rally to their cause, there's no tactical value in destroying Arendelle. In conclusion, your worries over war breaking out is almost meaningless."

The way Alrick dismissed the notion of war was informing in an emotionless way that was void of any sort of mocking or disrespect. However, the posture of his body that suggested it was a simple idea that he didn't need to look up from what he was doing to explain irritated some of the dignitaries.

"Meaningless?! There have been wars declared for far less! Perhaps to someone like you who has no real experience being a King but excels at being a soldier doesn't understand the political ramifications of what being accused of murder can do to a kingdom's reputation!"

It was then that Alrick decided to look up from his hands to the dignitary. His eyes displayed no ill will as he took in the man with a curious gaze. The man was in his late forties, judging from the slight greying in his hair, he wore his kingdoms colors of green and blue smartly that had the Blackdust King rummage through his memory of which kingdom the man ruled. It took a moment before he recognized the kingdom as Kindleton, an eastern province.

From what Alrick remembered, they didn't have many wars if at all, mostly keeping to themselves and tending to farms. If he were a lesser man, he might've laughed that a King who had likely never seen battle was lecturing him on how war came about. Instead, he spoke with an even tone that conveyed respect.

"You're correct, wars have been declared for much less. You're also right when you say that I have every little experience being a King, however, I've been around many Kings and Queens who have been in similar situations. They have shown me a vast amount of responses in what humans can do when threatened. I have watched comrades die over defending a kingdom's reputation, so I can appreciate how much it matters. All the same, in this situation, it would be more productive to look for the culprits rather than placing blame on Queen Elsa. For starters, it would be smart to ask which one of us here arrived _before _the Southern Isle ship so we can get a timeline of when they could've been killed and go from there. If we all collaborate and pool our information then we will likely be able to generate some ideas."

The dignitary was surprised to hear such an answer from the King across from him. He almost expected a violent response to which his guard was preparing for as he reached his weapon. Instead, Alrick had given a thoughtful response to the situation that would help solve their problem. The others in the room seemed to have also taken his words to heart as they all sat down. Elsa sent the man a grateful look to which he nodded his head and watched her take her seat at the head of the table.

"I thank all of you for staying and helping me get to the bottom of this. Currently, we only have one clue, a letter that was left on the Prince's body." Murmurs went across the room as the blonde produced the bloodied piece of parchment.

"What does it say, Your Majesty?"

Elsa turned to Alrick who looked attentive as she held out the letter towards his direction so that it may be passed down to him. "There is no one record of who wrote it, however, it seems that whoever did wanted to give a message to King Alrick."

Everyone in the room turned to the man who read the letter once with an almost irritated expression and calmly rolled the parchment back up before passing it along. The single sentence accompanied by the specks of blood alluded to a plot that someone planned on assassinating the man. As the parchment made it to everyone in the room, they all couldn't help but stare at the man who still had a calm expression on his face.

"I haven't been entirely forthcoming with all of you…" The dignitaries in the room looked to the man in confusion as they waited for him to continue. "...a few weeks ago, I was attacked by some masked assailants, they targeted my council as well as my family. Likely they were trying to take over or weaken my kingdom, fortunately, we were able to repel them. Unfortunately however, we couldn't get any information on who they might be working for. While it's true that Blackdust has made many enemies in the past that we cannot fully make up for, I came here to at least try and repair the wounds my kingdom caused around the world…"

It was at this moment that Alrick decided to get out of his chair and bow his head to everyone in the room. The gesture was unexpected to be sure, for someone of such a violent and dangerous reputation being willing to bow to foreign sovereigns made his speech more compelling.

"...I can admit there are many who would see that my endeavor is foolish and an insult to my kingdom's warrior mindset. Perhaps it was these men who killed the Southern Isle delegation and left this message for me. If this is true, then I would like to apologize, it was never my intention of putting anyone else in danger. I would like to work with all of you and join this new era of peace where I can watch my family grown without having to worry about watching them being sent off to war."

The room was quiet for a moment as they all took in what the King was saying. Elsa already knew that Alrick wanted to be apart of the alliance she was in to boost trade and promote peace. While she still held out suspicions that he wasn't being completely genuine, he deserved the benefit of the doubt. The rumors surrounding him suggested that his skill was shrouded in magic, which he used to overcome impossible odds. While there was no way to prove if he possessed abilities similar to hers or Edward's, his relaxed posture around all the different guards in the room spoke volumes.

"When you say, 'there are many who would see my endeavor foolish and an insult to my kingdom's warrior mindset.' do you mean the previous King's followers?" Stonewell already had another cigar in his mouth as he addressed Alrick. The two of them had another stare down that lasted for a few moments before the older man got a response.

"Yes, when I usurped the throne, a large faction of our military left Blackdust and scattered. I've been trying to keep tabs on them but my attempts have been less than successful."

"Wait a moment. You said _usurped, _as far as I'm aware, the position of King is decided by the most competent fighter in the entire kingdom fighting and killing the King. Since you're here wearing the crown, I assume Rakat's dead, that would make you the legitimate heir to the throne. Why would you be considered a usurper?"

Alrick took a deep breath before exhaling.

"You are correct when you say the most competent warrior in the kingdom becomes King, however, there are more rules than just that. Whoever takes the throne is considered the strongest, however, their 'heir' is the second strongest warrior at that time. To completely gain the throne, one must either kill both the second and the King or become the second and kill the King. When I initiated the coup and fought the King, his second was nowhere to be found. I scoured the entire kingdom but found no trace of him whatsoever. The fact that he is still alive puts my position in jeopardy, even though I ratified the structure of our government to a proper monarchy with a council, he still has the right to challenge me."

Stonewell turned the words over in his head a few times. Alrick was revealing a lot of secret information to foreign kingdoms in the room that could easily come back to haunt him in the future. It was an olive branch of trust that certainly fits his character. It also strengthened the theory that someone wants him dead, if this second wanted the throne, then he needed to kill Alrick. However with the King changing the state of the government, the second might not even be able to get to the man to challenge him. That left assassination which was a specialty in Blackdust's violent past.

The old man knew that the King came here to join the alliance that Arendelle was in. It was a smart move to provide for his kingdom as well as strengthen his position as the ruler if he can provide for them without taking from others. One concern with that was the possibility that not everyone in the kingdom might not feel that they should change their heritage. Alrick was certainly a capable warrior, of that no one could contest, but he was still human.

Humans make mistakes, get old, and can't be on guard every moment of every day.

Sooner or later, there would be a time where he would be vulnerable. The question was if a loyal soldier to this second would have the guts to attempt to capitalize on the opportunity and end his reign.

"You're doing everything you can to set up your kingdom on the odd chance of your untimely death. The note was right, you are running out of time. So maybe whoever killed the delegation from the Southern Isles work for this second. However, the question remains, why would they _only _attack Prince Albert and not the rest of the other kingdoms?"

That made everyone in the room ponder for a moment, what was there to gain by killing a Prince from the Southern Isles? It wasn't like their kingdom was particularly special, they were essentially the same size as Arendelle with twelve Princes ready to succeed one another should one perish. While everyone was thinking, the doors to the conference room were opened as a guard briskly walked until they made it to the Captain before urgently whispering in his ear. Stonewell took the cigar out of his mouth as he fixed the guard with an intense expression.

"Are you certain?"

The guard nodded as the old man crushed the cigar in his hand before turning to Elsa.

"Your Majesty, there has been a development in the Southern Sea, one of our trader ships noted a very large fleet of ships heading toward the Southern Isles."

"What colors were the ships flying?"

"They were flying Weselton colors, our trader ship was largely ignored by the fleet as they continued on their heading. According to the Captain of the ship, he noticed there was a large plume of smoke in the direction of their heading. After conversing their charts he was able to conclude that the nearest landmass in that direction was the Southern Isles."

The topic of the room that whoever killed Prince Albert had was targeting King Alrick shifted to the idea that Weselton was invading the Southern Isles. That large amount of troop movement couldn't have been a coincidence. That did, however, raise the question of why would Weselton invade the Southern Isles, they weren't even enemies. As far as Elsa knew, there was no bad blood between the two kingdoms at all.

The blonde pondered the situation a bit in her head before something occurred to her. There was a large plume of smoke in the direction the fleet was _heading._ Where there is smoke, there is fire, and the larger the smoke, the same with the fire. Meaning the Southern Isles were _already _on fire before the fleet could get there, which didn't make even more sense. If that was truly an invasion fleet, then shouldn't they already be at the kingdom burning it instead of sailing toward it?

_Unless they aren't an invasion force._

That opened up a whole new can of worms that she couldn't get any definitive answers to. Her mind raced with multiple possibilities and scenarios that she shot down until she came up with a few logical theories.

The first being that someone _else _was invading the Southern Isles and that Weselton was coming to assist them.

That theory had a few holes in it, such as out of all the allies the Southern Isles had why would they choose Weselton who were far away. In addition, how would Weselton have known of the invasion before any of the other kingdoms, and arrive in time to assist? The only way Weselton would've been able to send troops soon enough to help was if they knew of the invasion ahead of time, which brought about the second theory.

That Weselton was indeed invading the Southern Isles. Naturally, this would cause the kingdom's allies to send their forces to defend the kingdom. Weselton was a large kingdom but it was no match for the alliance that the Southern Isles was in. Invading would be a foolhardy move on their part and she knew the King of Weselton was no fool.

The third theory she had was that there was a coup to take over the kingdom and Weselton was throwing their hat in with whoever was initiating the coup. Elsa instantly thought of Hans attempting it but remembered he was at the bottom of the line of successors. For him to become King, he'd have to murder all twelve of his brothers who she thought would be a daunting task considering they all might not even be at the same place at one time. However, with the death of Prince Albert fresh in her mind, she had no doubt that someone was targeting the kingdom's royal family.

Hans wasn't capable enough to plan something of this magnitude, the man was impulsive and didn't think things through effectively. Even when he tried to usurp her throne twice, he left too many things to chance. Not to mention with his recent failure and her letter to the Southern Isles informing them of their wayward Prince, he wouldn't be in any position to plan a coup.

These were all theories in her head that she had no way of confirming unless someone actually went to the Southern Isles to learn of the situation. Elsa really didn't want to send any of her military to do so but the agreement pact was still in place, meaning she didn't have much choice. She was the one who was the most successful negotiator when it came to the alliance so it would fall on her to attempt to end this situation diplomatically.

The fact was, if the Southern Isles were truly getting invaded and Weselton was already on their way, it was likely her forces would arrive too late to change anything. All she could do was assess the aftermath and then decide if military intervention was necessary.

"Thank you, Captain, you've left us with much to discuss. King Alrick, I apologize but for now, we must put aside the possible threat on your life and attempt to learn more about this pressing engagement." Alrick waved off her apology, completely understanding of the situation. The summit had now turned in a new direction, from taxes and policies to possibly preparing for another war. If Weselton took over the Southern Isles that would mean war and Elsa wanted nothing more than to stave off that possibility.

She had hoped a boring summit meeting would keep everyone from noticing her happier demeanor from last night. Now, with what could be happening, her happier mood was completely destroyed and replaced with worry and fear for what this could mean for her kingdom.

* * *

Sitting on a window sill down by the docks in Arendelle was Greed who watched with disinterest as the townspeople bussed around one another. He had been in and out of the village for a week setting things in motion before returning. There were wanted posters of him set up around but with enough coin, he was able to keep his whereabouts secret. If he was being truthfully honest, it wouldn't be too big of an inconvenience if the guards did find him, he could simply fade away and return at another time.

The reason he was in Arendelle was that he had to ensure all the Princes of the Southern Isles were all killed so Hans could take the throne. Tracking them down was a chore, they were scattered in the wind and he had to go through lengths to find them. Albert was the last one and he was set to be in Arendelle for the Gathering. As Greed waited for the Prince to show, he scouted out the village to get a basic layout for Father's eventual attack.

It wasn't until he saw a familiar face did his breathing halt for a moment. Returning in a sleigh with the blonde-haired man that was with the Princess was Wrath. He could recognize that face anywhere, after all, Wrath was the reason he was a Sin in the first place. Greed could remember back when this body was human. He was one of the Mystic Guard survivors from Elysion. He stood behind Alrick as he initiated the coup for them to remove Rakat from his throne.

He remembered asking what was the point of a coup when the Commander could've easily just challenged Asger and Rakat for the throne. Alrick replied that if he did that then nothing would change, Blackdust needed to rise up and say no to the current way of life. That the weak had no say in government was wrong and that the King should be held accountable.

Back then, he thought of his wife and daughter. The two most precious things in his life, he would give _anything _for them. He didn't want his little girl growing up in a world where might made right, so he followed his Commander. At first, things were going their way, they recruited the civilians and cut off all supplies to the warrior elitists. Rakat was furious so he turned the sword on the people which lost him a good portion of his military.

The fighting lasted for five years until one day the unthinkable happened. He remembered walking into his home and finding blood splatters everywhere. Immediately he rushed to his daughter's room, what he saw in there brought him so much pain that death seemed like a mercy. It took time but he was able to block out the image of his wife cradling their daughter in her arms.

During that time, he turned grief into anger when he learned that Rakat had ordered all of their families be made an example of. Alrick couldn't hold off the vengeful soldiers and committed to an all-out assault on Rakat. During the assault, the Commander as well as the Lieutenant was cut off from the remainder of the Mystic Guard. Remembering their training, they all proceeded to the throne room where the same familiar face Greed saw was waiting for them surrounded by the bodies of other soldiers.

At first, there was confusion, Rahim was killed earlier in the Dark Forest, how was he here? In addition, his skin was tan and he had red eyes which brought even more questions. When one of them asked how he was here, Rahim ignored the question, only drawing his katana and speaking one sentence that marked the beginning of their end.

"_I don't imagine this will take that much longer than how long it took for your families."_

There was shock amongst their faces as they remained still and couldn't comprehend what he was saying. When Rahim tore through the first four of them in the blink of an eye, they all understood then.

This traitor was the one who killed all their families.

They all rushed him at once from every direction but there was no touching him at all. He evaded every attack with no effort whatsoever, not one weapon touched him or his blade. When he danced through all of their attacks, he initiated his own.

It took one swing for each man.

There was no wasted movement, it was as if they were all standing still compared to Rahim. Greed remembered watching the traitor whip his katana off to the side after every single kill to keep his weapon clean before moving on to his next victim. Before long, it was his turn. The moment the two of them locked eyes, memories of his wife and daughter filled his mind as he saw them both one last time before he charged forward attempting to avenge them.

Rahim sheathes his sword and backed _just _out of range of the incoming attack. Just for a moment, the two of them locked eyes with one another again that lasted for an eternity. In those red eyes, he could see the runt that hung around the Lieutenant all the time wasn't there in the slightest. All the anger the boy had was gone, just emptiness was in those red depths as the massacre he was causing didn't register in his mind.

That brief moment ended when he felt his legs give out, Greed remembered looking down to see that there was a fountain of blood coming from his waist. He then remembered hearing Rahim sheathe his katana with a click and then falling backward. What made it odd was he was sure his knees hit the ground so he should've fallen forward. However, when he saw his legs still in their kneeling position as his back hit the ground, he understood.

He was going to quickly go into shock with the amount of blood loss before fainting but he was conscious enough to watch Rahim kill the remaining survivors before hearing the Lieutenant enter the room. That was the last thing he remembered before everything going black and him waking up in Talib's lab.

Logically, he should've been confused or just furious when all his memories flooded back but he was at peace. As if the memories belonged to someone else and not him. The alchemist explained everything, from his previous life to his death and rebirth as Greed. When he was finally free to do whatever he pleased until he left Blackdust, the newly reborn Sin went back to his home.

There was nothing there, just a run-down home with absolutely nothing of worth inside. He walked throughout the house until he walked into his daughter's room where he sat on the small bed. Fond fatherly memories played in his mind as he sat there, however, he still felt absolutely nothing. He knew he should've been furious that his wife and daughter's killer was still alive, worse that he was working with them, yet there was still nothing.

As the memories kept playing in his mind, one stood out. The last time he saw them alive, he left a necklace in a small box inside the bedside table for his daughter. It was a simple chain with a small golden bird hanging from it. He remembered getting it for his daughter's birthday and had been holding onto it until he got to see her again. With the civil war raging, he hadn't been able to see her. He remembered placing it inside the table while she slept and gave her a kiss on her cheek before leaving.

Greed looked next to the bed and just now noticed the destroyed table. He knelt down and sifted through the pieces of wood before his finger hooked around something. When he saw the chain of the necklace, he felt something.

_Hope. _

He felt the hope that he had _one _thing that tied him to his previous life that made him human. Gently he held it and moved the piece of wood on top of it and tugged on it to free the golden bird so that it could fly.

Only to find that the bird was in pieces, the small clinks it made as it essentially turned to dust before his eyes crushed that feeling of hope in his chest.

_That _was when he felt rage.

Wrath had taken the _only _thing that remained for him of his old life, of the love he had for his family. Such a thing was priceless to Greed and for Wrath to steal it from him was an insult he couldn't stand. He tried returning to Talib and forcing the alchemist to tell him where Wrath was but Father intervened and had to _educate _him.

Greed learned then that acting on emotion was foolish and became Father's most loyal dog. However secretly he decided on what mattered to him most.

Father's plan succeeding was one, he suspected it was because of the education so let it be. His life was right after that, he would never allow himself to lose his new life and would find a way to remain alive even after Father's plan. Finally, all the material gain he could amass so that he could say he had everything. Yet there was one thing he knew wanted more than _anything _else.

He wanted Wrath's life.

Seeing him with the blonde mountain man was painful, he wanted so much to go down there and remove his head from his shoulders but knew better than that. Wrath was a monster, one who would easily see him coming even with his new abilities. So Greed waited and watched whenever he was in Arendelle.

He kept far out of sight so Wrath wouldn't expect anything but the more he observed, the more he realized something was off with the Sin. One of his abilities allowed him to know what someone wanted most if he concentrated hard enough. When he focused on Wrath, there were two thoughts that appeared in his mind. That was odd, usually, he could know the _one _thing someone wanted most but there were two things that were equally important to the Sin.

What made it more puzzling, was the fact that they were both of the same thing, or person rather. Queen Elsa appeared in both thoughts but in different contexts. One of them was a clear picture of her, just her, there were no words or thoughts just her. The other was a blurry picture of her that had some rambling that couldn't be understood.

It was today when Wrath, left the castle and was walking all over the village did Greed finally understand both thoughts.

One wanted to protect Elsa from anything and have her for his own.

The other wanted her dead at his feet.

This raised new questions that Greed didn't care to know, all he needed to know was the Elemental meant something to the Sin. The bandit leader couldn't help but imagine how crushing it would be when he showed Wrath her lifeless corpse.

That would have to come later though, Greed confirmed that neither Father or Talib knew Wrath was here when he was attending to matters. That meant he had an opportunity, he supposed he could just appear right next to the blond and end her life but Talib expressed an interest in her and asked he not kill her just yet. The Sin knew the alchemist was trying to persuade Father to not kill Elsa so that he may study her thoroughly.

If there was anyone who could change Father's mind it was Talib, but the invasion of Arendelle was still in the works. Hans should be arriving back to his home to stabilize the kingdom with Weselton forces who will discover his fallen brothers. Greed had ordered they attempt to kill Hans to keep up appearances but knew he should watch over the Prince just in case.

As he watched Wrath converse with some older man, an idea just occurred to him. It made him smile with his fangs as he got to his feet. If his idea succeeded then he could give Wrath a _small _taste of what was to come. It was time he visited his old kingdom. Greed concentrated on where he wanted to go and felt himself become weightless and blow away like dust in the wind.

* * *

_In the deep recesses of Wrath's soul stood the demon looking out past the battlements. Edward was going with completely unaware of the bald man watching him. The Sin, on the other hand, felt that flicker of anger a week ago and has been waiting and watching since. Somehow the taste of anger was familiar it wasn't until the man thought of his past did it finally make sense. _

_It took a long time but eventually, Wrath found the pair of daggers that belonged to Rahim's partner that took Lilian and her father away from Elysion. Taking them in his clawed hands, the demon remembered killing the man, as well as killing his wife and daughter. The brief flash of guilt that surfaced was quickly pushed down with murderous intent. _

_If Ian wanted a chance to take his life than Wrath would be more than happy to give him the chance. The problem was, if Edward recognized Ian as someone he killed, his human emotions would get in the way. _

_With the night that he and Elsa shared, Wrath felt Edward's power slowly grow, it took effort for the Sin to keep its murderous persona unaffected from his host's. The hunger for more anger began to wane as the desire for the blonde grew. When Edward made this deep into the Sin's soul, Wrath was impressed. _

_No one had seen this deep into his soul, he doubted that alchemist or Father were aware of this place. They had kept him as a mindless monster, however with Rahim, that all changed. With the gift of thought, Wrath was able to reflect and come up with a few things. The one thing that was always on his mind was his host being able to completely take control for a time. Even if they were the same being, something like that was odd. That led Wrath to place a little wager with himself, if Edward could somehow dominate him then Wrath would completely submit and relinquish its thoughts to become just power for his host. _

_Conversely, should Edward lose and Wrath is able to swallow his soul then it would kill every single person in Arendelle, with Elsa being the last. _

_Logically, it made no sense to pit two halves on the same soul against one another but Wrath never thought twice about killing yet Edward did. Never once the Sin ever consider what he was doing was wrong so for a piece of his soul to think so was mind-boggling. If murderous half of his soul was defeated by his guilty more human-like half than Wrath would concede it was wrong. _

_Until then, all the Sin could do was wait. It was slow but Edward's power grew, he was still unaware of how much but the feelings he felt began to flow into Wrath who had to push them down. If this continued then sooner or later the demon wouldn't be able to take complete control of his other half in a critical situation. The fact remained that they both shared a life and if Edward couldn't hack it then Wrath would. _

_For now, Wrath would just keep an eye on Ian, the moment he tried anything was the moment that the Sin would truly be able to remind itself that it was Wrath. _

_Not Rahim. _

_Not Edward._

_Only Wrath._

* * *

In the capital of the Southern Isles, there were men fighting one another and bodies decorating the halls. Fires had broken out throughout the kingdom as the mysterious force just began to attack without warning. Weselton soldiers had just made landfall and hurrying to reach the King with Hans guiding them. Surprisingly the Prince was capable with a sword, having to be able to kill most of the invaders in two-to-one combat.

When the wayward Prince arrived in Weselton and had convinced the King that he was attacked by unknown assailants and forced to run. He skillfully created the illusion of him worrying for his brothers and hoped that the King would send reinforcements to help. The ruling monarch considered this and asked for time to decide which Hans used to find the Duke of Weselton.

It was quite easy to see that the little man still had a grudge against the 'Ice Witch' as so eloquently called her. It took very little time for Hans to explain his long term plan for Arendelle which gained him an ally. The first step to that plan, however, was getting the King to actually send men to the Southern Isles to stop an attack on his brothers. The Duke was able to sway his liege's mind to send a force to see if the attack was true, if it wasn't then they could claim a reward for rescuing Hans. When they arrived to see the kingdom burning, the men leapt into action as they hit the shore running and fought to the castle.

It took some time but they were finally able to make it to the war room where Hans' third oldest brother Lars was fighting three invaders and was quickly losing ground.

For a moment, Hans forgot his plan and thought back to his childhood, he remembered being shoved in mud and being bullied by his brothers. Only for Lars to step in and make the rest of the four that were there stop because he was older than all of them. He helped Hans out of the mud and got him cleaned up so father wouldn't know he let himself be bullied by his brothers.

Lars was the only one that Hans actually liked among them, he was the only one who after the failed attempt to take Arendelle didn't give him a hard time about it. Their eldest brother had wanted to humiliate Hans and the other ten happily joined in but Lars felt that Hans' poor attempt came from father's poor attempt at raising him. When the King died, none of the brothers felt anything, they all just wanted the throne which obviously went to the oldest.

That made Lars decide he wanted to travel and actually do something other than just sit down in the lap of luxury. He offered that Hans could join him after his punishment was up but some complications arose which had him not be there when his little brother finished his punishment.

Seeing the only one he truly considered a brother, Hans rushed forward with his sword and joined his brother's side as the two of them defeated his attackers. After doing so, Hans was immediately caught in a massive hug as his brother was happy to see him.

"Thank goodness you're alright! When I heard you've gone missing, I was about to set out and find you but these guys started attacking. They've already killed everyone, all our brothers and mom are dead. Albert was sent to Arendelle so he should be safe but I was so worried about you."

"It's nice to see you, Lars, I was attacked while I was away and was able to make it to Weselton. The King sent reinforcements to help, I'm glad you held out long enough."

"Father's probably rolling over in his grave right now. Here he was thinking that you were the weakest out of all of his but you not only survived an assassination but you brought help, knew you'd prove him wrong one day."

That made Hans stop, he couldn't remember the last time he got a compliment from one of his family members. It was actually pretty nice. For a moment, Hans actually began to feel guilty, this whole invasion was his fault. He didn't care about his other brothers' dying but he did care for his mom and Lars. Perhaps he could find Greed and work out a way for Lars to live while he took the throne for being a hero.

All he needed to do was keep his brother close so that he could speak with Greed.

"Thank you for that but now is not the time, we need to gather the rest of our forces to push back these invaders."

"Yes, I think General Julius is holding the line at the…"

Lars didn't get to finish that sentence as a blade quickly jutted out his chest spraying flecks of blood on Hans' shocked face. The older brother tried speaking but all that came out was gasps and more blood until the blade removed itself from the body and tossing the Prince harshly to the side.

Standing behind the now dead body of Prince Lars was someone dressed in a dark frock coat that had a shoulder pad and spiked glove on his left arm. In the killer's hand was a gleaming silver katana that had a serrated design on the back of the blade. Hans immediately swung his sword at his brother's killer briefly overcome with rage but was deftly blocked as the two got close to one another.

His attacker's face was covered with a hood and cloth but when they got close, the Prince was able to see two red eyes staring at him through the shadows. He watched the head lean closer before whispering in his ear.

"I told you, I like to cover my bases."

Hans went still as it just dawned on him who was in front of him right now. With his concentration broken, his attacker swept his legs out from under him before delivering a fast swing that rewarded him with a gush of blood and a wail of pain from the Prince. The Weselton soldiers ran in hearing the noise and saw Hans on the ground with a cut going from the side of his face, down his chest and across his right arm.

Above him was a mysterious attacker who looked ready to finish him off but noticed their timely arrival. A few of them pulled out flintlocks and looked ready to open fire but before they could, the attacker vanished in front of their very eyes. The men looked around the room waiting for him to appear again but when he didn't they rushed to the injured Prince.

Blood was steadily pumping out of the wound, however, it wasn't too deep. The men gathered the Prince to take back to the ship, their commander had likely made contact with the leading General of the Southern Isles. If the body near the throne was any indication, then Hans was the last living Prince of the Southern Isles.

* * *

**Hey guys, sorry for the long update. I've been busy and honestly this chapter had me stumped on the very few times that I had free time. Believe it or not I keep thinking of what will happen in later chapters. At least I got to explain Greed a bit. Anyway I'll try to knock out another chapter or two before December ends. Please drop a review or pm if you need to speak with me. **


	30. Chapter 30

**Shout out to **Chronos500 **for the follow and favorite.**

* * *

Elsa was tired, after the news about the Southern Isles being possibly invaded, an all out argument ensued as to how they would respond. The first suggestion to be offered what that they immediately send their military forces to provide support to the kingdom. The blonde had to dissuade such an action reasoning that they had no idea if it was truly an invasion plus there were still diplomatic options they could pursue. Hearing that the Queen of Arendelle was reluctant to send support, one of the delegates all but accused her of wanting the Southern Isles to be invaded as revenge for Hans' attempt on her life.

She immediately denied the accusation and said that Arendelle would be the first to lend support if it turned out to be an invasion. That to her current predicament, with her saying that _and _wanting to keep things diplomatic, she needed to send an envoy to the Southern Isles. She could easily tell that many wanted her to personally go.

Despite her age and being a single ruler, Elsa was a very capable negotiator. She was able to solve disputes between other kingdoms that would've ended in arm conflicts. In fact, during the year of her reign, there had been multiple kingdoms who've asked for her opinion on matters that proved to be quite beneficial to all parties. If there was an invasion happening in the Southern Isles, a successful diplomat would be a good choice to send.

There was also the fact that she had ice magic.

The stories surrounding her powers circled around the kingdoms quite quickly. They made her out to be some omnipotent being who was able to defeat any enemy with a flick of her fingers. While this was partially true, that she could _potentially _defeat any foe with a flick of her fingers, there were also people out there who could combat her magic. The first person to come to mind was Zavis who showed absolutely no fear when she showed him her magic. There was also Edward and Ahimoth who both admitted to meeting other Elementals and almost being killed by them.

While Elsa had confidence in her magic, she knew that she had no battle experience. Her main objective would just be to capture her opponents and not actually hurt them. Even when those two men from Weselton tried to kill her in her ice palace, she did her utmost to just capture them. During the fight, however, her emotions began to get the better of her when she found that she had more power than them and they were foolish to try and kill her.

For a very short moment, she touched a dark part of her mind that pushed her to almost skewer one man and push another off to his death. The scary part to her was that she didn't even consider that she was about to kill them, only that if she took this course of action they wouldn't be able to counter her. When Hans ran in and told her that she shouldn't be the monster that they feared her to be, she realized in horror that she was about to kill someone.

Even though she now knew he said that to get her to stop and give him an opening to capture her without killing her, she still took those words to heart. She wasn't a monster that people feared her to be, she would always do her best to never use her powers to hurt someone else. Strategically, that put her at a disadvantage against anyone who wanted to kill her, namely Zavis who could tell that she had no intention of killing him. If she were to go and it _was _an invasion planned by Weselton who she expected to still hold a grudge against her, she knew it would turn violent.

She _could _just freeze the entire castle and anyone in a large radius of her but that would invite casualties of friend and foe. If she tried to capture every single hostile enemy, there was a chance one of her allies would get in the way or she would eventually make a mistake that would lead to her downfall. The two times she'd been able to capture a crossbow bolt before it hit her were pure luck in her opinion. Had she not been facing their direction, she would've been skewered and with kingdoms arming themselves with flintlocks and cannons, any one stray shot would be the death of her.

There have been times she'd seen Edward and Stonewell train with the other guards and against one another. They were purposeful in their attacks and acted on instinct, more than anything, they were _fast. _Much faster than she thought would be possible for a human being. When Stonewell swept Edward's feet from under him, she expected the young man to fall, not catch himself on one hand and move to avoid another attack. Similarly, she could hardly follow the swings he sent the Captain's way who was able to block them as well as counter them while making his own opening.

They had the battle experience to react to dangers that others wouldn't be able to, that included her. While she may have more power than both of them, Elsa knew that if she met someone with the same amount of experience as those two that truly wanted to kill her, she would be at a massive disadvantage. As such, she had no desire to waltz into a potential battlefield that could result in the loss of life for her people.

With that being said, she already told the delegates that she would be the first to respond. She could assemble them again and tell them she made a mistake but it would undermine her credibility. She needed to figure something out quickly, which was why she was on her way to her study. Elsa had dismissed Hector for the night, telling him that she'd be staying in royal wing which had its own roster of guards who she had learned the names and faces of during each rotation. The blonde kept detailed records as well as maps outlining old troop movements of other kingdoms in the past. She had a general idea where the Weselton fleet came from, she was hoping that perhaps she could send an envoy in the opposite direction and land on another shore. With the Southern Isles being made up of multiple islands, she could lessen the visibility of the envoy and let them observe the kingdom to see if it was truly safe or not.

As she entered the door into her study, she wasn't too surprised to see her sister waiting for her with a slight pout.

"Elsa, there you are! I've been waiting for you all day! Kai already said that your summit meeting ended a few hours ago and that you said that there were some brief errands you had to attend to."

The blonde winced when she remembered speaking with the butler. She knew that Anna would be looking for her after the summit meeting, so she told him to let her know she would be busy for a brief time. The 'errands' she had to run where actually meetings with Stonewell as well as General Victor Simon who was in charge of Arendelle's formal military. The two men both disagreed with the notion of her traveling to the Southern Isles in fear for her safety. Instead they felt that an ambassador should go with guards to appraise the situation.

It was a logical suggestion but it was one that would take time, time she didn't know the alliance members would be willing to wait. While she left to think about it, she was approached by King Alrick who had a suggestion.

He offered to send some of his men to meet her envoy in the Southern Isles to help the situation. He expressed that their main objective would be protection but that they were also perfectly capable of crippling an invasion force by targeting the chain of command. That would buy Arendelle time to mobilize a force to help assist the Southern Isles.

It was also a very logical suggestion but it raised a flag in her head. From since she met him, Alrick always talked of peace, sure the threat against his kingdom forced his hand to respond but he repeatedly expressed wanting to be in an era of peace. Yet here he was offering to send men to a conflict that didn't concern his kingdom, if he was a formal part of their alliance, it would be different but presently he was still just a guest. Even if his force was able to completely annihilate the invasion force, that would only further raise the chance of war breaking out with Weselton.

One that could easily find itself on Blackdust's still recovering shores.

She told him that she'd consider his offer and give him an answer before he left in two days. For now, she wanted to really take a moment to think about all possible angles and routes this situation could progress.

"I'm sorry Anna, business just took a little longer than it should have and honestly I'm feeling a little tired so can we just do whatever you have planned tomorrow?"

If it were any other occasion Elsa might've gotten away with it, but it was her _birthday_, and there was _nothing _that was going to stop her sister from celebrating it.

"Sorry Elsa but today's your birthday and I gave you a lot of slack already. Besides, it's nothing big, you'll be in and out in an hour. Hour and a half tops." The blonde sighed as her little sister all but dragged her through the royal wing. Before long the two of them were in front of a door that Elsa knew led into a parlor where they usually spend _family_ time in. The redhead put her back against the door and gave her sister a sheepish smile.

"Try and act surprised."

"You know Anna a surprise party is only a surprise if I'm not expecting it."

Her little sister shrugged before opening the door and pulling her inside. The first thing the blonde registered was that it was dark, extremely so. There must've been heavy black curtains obscuring the windows so that the moon wouldn't be able to shine light through. Elsa felt Anna let go of her hand and she was instantly blindly searching in the dark.

Her first instinct was to cast a small amount of snow magic to illuminate her immediate surroundings but all that did was give away where she was. Something soft wrapped around her midsection as well as her other arm and pulled her a short distance causing her to yelp. She was about to freeze it to break free but she was instantly let go and a fire behind her illuminated the room.

"SURPRISE!"

The fire showed Anna, Kristoff, Sven, Olaf, Kai, Gerda, and an unknown brown haired man and woman standing before her. While she was somewhat expecting them to say surprise, hearing it made the blonde jump a bit and freeze the floor underneath her. She felt herself begin to fall backwards but then a thick blonde material of some kind fell from above to wrap around her and steady her.

Looking up, Elsa just now saw a pair of dangling feet wiggling from the rafters where the blonde material came from. When she squinted, she could make out a petite woman with blonde hair and a pink dress waving at her. Elsa's eyes widened when she saw the woman lean forward and showed that her hair was quite longer than she would've thought possible. When the young woman swung down using her _hair, _Elsa's eyes almost fell out of her head and she couldn't seem to close her mouth.

"Hi, I'm Rapunzel, it's nice to meet you your Majesty."

The Queen in her told her to close her mouth and respond appropriately but she was still shell-shocked about the woman's hair. It was almost impossible for hair to grow that much, even more so that she never noticed until they were standing in the same room. Thankfully her little sister decided to come in and snap her out of her trance.

"Well looks like you're still surprised. Can't really blame you, just wait until you hear the story behind it. Anyway it's time you meet our other two guests. The man is Princess Rapunzel's husband, Eugene Fitzherbert…"

It was at that moment Eugene decided to introduce himself.

"A pleasure Your Majesty, perhaps you've heard of me, brave adventurer, swashbuckling hero, handsome rogue with a heart of gold, most…"

"...annoying person to ever live."

And that was the moment that the woman decided to speak.

"Your Majesty please forgive this oaf's outburst. I keep asking Princess Rapunzel to leave him behind until he learns proper manners however she sees that he is able to do so, which would be true if he actually possessed a brain."

Eugene faked laughed quite loudly as he made his way toward the woman. "You're a gem Cassandra, really you are, but shouldn't you be, I don't know folding sheets or something? You are just a handmaiden after all, even though you certainly lack the refinement to even be one."

The two of them instantly began to bicker which made Anna and Rapunzel laugh while everyone else just watched with interest. That seemed to knock some sense into Elsa who debated for a moment if she should stop them from arguing. She caught a few words here and there that made her clamp a hand on her mouth with how funny it was.

"I'm sorry about those two, they may act like they hate each other, probably believe it too but deep down, they're good friends. Anyway, I just wanted to say happy birthday from Corona. My father, the King, asked me to pass you regards from him and my mother since they had some business to attend to. Apparently, my father said he was close friends with your parents a long time ago."

Elsa thought for a moment about King Frederic and remembered her father did say that he had a good friend he called 'Freddy' from his younger days. It never occurred to her that they were of the same man.

"Why thank you, and don't apologize, I'm sure you can see that even here me and Anna have our fair share of odd people." Olaf and Sven were too engrossed in the argument to hear that little crack but Kristoff sent her a joking look before turning back to the main source of entertainment.

"Yes, a walking and talking snowman is definitely out there but believe it or not, we've seen our fair share of strange and magical things."

"Well I would be quite interested in hearing about them."

Anna clapped her hands to gather everyone's attention. Eugene and Cassandra stopped arguing to give the redhead her attention who whirled around the room before producing a cake that was hiding under a sheet.

"Well before we do all that, I think we should first sing Elsa happy birthday then move on to presents!"

Olaf instantly squealed and hopped down from Sven's back before waddling to the cake. When he was in front of everyone, he cleared his throat and was about to sing which Anna, Kristoff, and Sven instantly prepared for by plugging their ears away from the snowman's eye sight. Elsa on the other hand, braced herself for the song. It wasn't that Olaf couldn't sing, it just was that when he was really excited for celebrations, his voice cracked _quite _loudly.

Last time on Anna's birthday, she said that she could hear a dull ringing in her ears for a few hours after Olaf finished his happy birthday song. Doctor Steward said that she had slightly damaged her hearing and it would heal given time. So the three of them tried getting Olaf to lower his volume whenever he really sang but whenever he was really happy his volume would go up. To avoid hurting his feelings, they all secretly agreed to just cover their ears whenever he sang.

Unfortunately the person he was singing to, had to endure the little song.

When she watched him take a deep breath, she looked over to the guests from Corona and flashed them an apologetic smile.

* * *

Edward was currently sprinting toward the castle all the while cursing himself in his head. It was quite late with the moon being out and signalling the day was almost over. Mr. Jorgen had taken him to his office to discuss possible ideas for Elsa's gift, which the older man didn't know who it was for. They had spent the better part of a few hours discussing when a dock worker rushed into the office saying there was an accident.

While they were loading some crates onto trader ships as well as visiting dignitaries, one of the boards on the dock gave out and sent a crates into the sea. When Mr. Jorgen took inventory of what fell, Edward saw the older man's face fall. It seemed the crate was a personal storage for one of the visiting royals. As a harbormaster he was able to get a complete inventory of all crates and had an estimated value on all items.

The royal who owned the crate insisted that it was priceless, upon inspecting the contents Mr. Jorgen could see what why. There were expensive jewelry as well as gems and other valuable trinkets inside the crate, all safely packed incase the crate fell onto the ground. Too bad it fell into the ocean and could still be sinking for all they knew.

The older man's face paled as he thought about having to explain to the royal that the crate was unfortunately lost. He would obviously be blamed and accused of stealing the riches for himself which he would never do. Edward asked why not just dive for it and bring it up, when he was working at the docks he noticed they had access to diving bells. They were old yet still looked to be in functional shape.

Mr. Jorgen replied that even though they could use them, the chain that could hold it couldn't make up half the distance that rested between the seafloor and the shore. Someone would have to swim down, tie a sturdy line to the crate and attach it to the diving bell. The problem was, the distance between the seafloor and diving bell would be almost impossible for anyone to dive down to with all that water on top of them.

Edward thought about it for a moment and wondered if he'd be able to dive down that far. His bones and muscles were strengthened but his organs were still very much human. Back when he had access to Wrath's healing abilities, he could regrow his organs but now that he can't he didn't know if he could survive down there. Still though, Mr. Jorgen was a good man, if there was anything the young man could do to help, he'd try.

So Edward convince the older man to let him dive under and see what he could do. It took time, but the young man found himself in the diving bell. He only took off the greatcoat and kept his long sleeved shirt and gloves on so they wouldn't see his left arm. When he hit the water, he then remembered that it was winter time as the water was beyond cold, however with his breath held he couldn't vocalize it.

The older man insisted that Edward have a line of rope tied to him so if he felt that he was about to drown, they could heave him up just in case. As the diving bell continued to sink until it reached the length of the chain, Edward squinted his eyes and could vaguely make out the seafloor. Swimming under the bell to replenish his air supply, he took another deep breath before diving even deeper into the sea.

He could feel the pressure beginning to exert itself on his body yet it wasn't enough to bother him. Before long he made it to the bottom and took a look around the floor. Fish swam past him as he searched for the crate. After a while he felt his air supply beginning to diminish so he went back up to the diving bell to get more air. When he finished, Edward went back down the seafloor to continue searching, it took a few trips but he was able to find the crate. It was still unopened and looked in good condition.

He knew this would piss Mr. Jorgen off but he untied the rope around his waist and secured it to the crate before giving the line a few sharp tugs. Edward waited for a moment until he saw the line grow taut before starting to pull the crate along. He went back to the diving bell for one more breath of air before swimming back to the surface to which to his credit rightly pissed off the older man.

The harbormaster gave him a lecture as they pulled the crate up to the surface and had it inspected and inventoried. After everything was accounted for, the workers went back to loading crates while Edward was taken into the older man's office. Mr. Jorgen gave him a blanket as well as hot tea to keep the young man from shivering as the cold air began to blow. The young man knew he wouldn't get sick and already had a tolerance for the cold but played along as the older man left the room to get a spare change of clothes.

The harbormaster returned soon and dropped off a beige long sleeve sweater and some fur pants before leaving again. While Edward changed, he glanced at the clock on the wall and began to panic when he realized how late it was getting and he still hadn't gotten a gift for Elsa. he was already in the new clothes and took off his wet pair of gloves to put on the new ones only to realize that the older man hadn't brought any.

Before he could put his old ones on, Mr. Jorgen walked in at that moment without knocking thinking that the young man had ample time to change. Edward froze for a moment before whirling around and hiding his left hand behind his back. The sleeves on his sweater stopped at his forearms so it left his left arm quite open. The young man eyed his greatcoat that was sitting on a chair not too far from him as the older man walked by not noticing his distress.

The harbormaster thanked Edward and asked if there was anyway he could repay him, which the young man denied saying there was no need. Edward tried to slowly back away and put on his coat without the older man getting a good look at his arm but unfortunately the harbormaster saw a flash of red on his left arm and thought he saw blood. Mr. Jorgen was instantly worried and tried to check on the wound which Edward denied was nothing but the older man was persistent and managed to hook a hand on the scaly skin of the young man's left arm.

At first, he thought it was a disease and was worried he might be infected but Edward denied that theory. He managed to convince the old man that it was a curse that was only confined to his left arm. He claimed he got it on an ice harvesting trip with Kristoff and that there were no side effects except him getting an arm like this. Edward asked that the older man not speak of this to anyone because he didn't want to be treated any differently. Surprisingly the older man agreed, yet he was still curious all the same.

He noticed the claws on the finger tips and wondered how sharp they were. When Edward lightly dragged a claw along a wooden chair and a line followed the appendage it gave the older man an idea. The harbormaster went into his desk before taking out a decent sized box and presenting it to the young man. Inside were an assortment of gems that looked quite valuable. Mr. Jorgen explained that he had managed to pick these up in his younger days and kept them as momentos. Each one of them were said to mean something in different cultures and languages.

Picking up a violet stone that was called amethyst, the harbormaster asked Edward to try and put a scratch on it. Taking the gem in hand, the young man applied a little force into the surface and began seeing an indent on where his finger laid. With more pressure a scratch began to form, then a crack, before finally a small piece of the gem fell off. Mr. Jorgen quickly scrambled to get the small piece before it fell to the floor and disappeared and put it back in the box while sending the young man a quick glare.

Edward had a sheepish smile before replacing the gem back into the box. The older man then went into detail on which gem meant what before asking the young man to pick one. Edward wondered why and Mr. Jorgen explained that with his left arm he could take a piece off and go to the blacksmith shop and make some jewelry. Sure it might not be extremely valuable but the point was that it came from him and there wouldn't be anywhere else that someone could find another one.

The young man was touched by the gesture and asked if it really was alright that he took a piece of the valuable gems. The harbormaster insisted saying that the young lad earned it from all his hard work. Edward finally picked an black onyx piece that was supposed to symbolize balance, intuition, and living in the present and not the past.

He knew of Elsa's past experiences and that while she was more outgoing, she still had some lingering feelings in the past. Onyx was also known to help relieve stress and give protection, which the blonde could use. Rahim wasn't a believer when it came to the idea that objects could have special properties that affected people. Ahimoth's gauntlets were enchanted by Lilian's father who was an Elemental so that didn't apply. It was a preposterous idea that rocks from the ground could actually protect and make a person feel something. Edward on the other hand was unsure, it would be nice if this small rock could help Elsa but he had a hard time seeing it happen. Still though, he hoped it would and thanked Mr. Jorgen before throwing on his greatcoat and leaving the office.

He spent the rest of the day using the blacksmith's forge that took a lot of begging and coin to get the man's permission to use. By the time he left, the moon was out and the clocktower read that it was almost an hour to midnight. An hour before Elsa's birthday was over, he didn't have any time to waste. Edward looked into his hand at the gift he made.

It was a very modest necklace, a simple chain that he had made himself which took quite a bit of time to make. While it was thin, it was strong for its size. It would take a decent tug for the clasp in the back to break. It held a small pendant that was styled to look like the petals of the crocus flower he'd seen on Arendellian flags and its 'stem' was Elsa's personalized snowflake.

It was small, one would have to get close to see it, but the entire pendant was the onyx piece that he took and carved using the claws on his left hand. Edward put so much effort into making the pendant look identical to the design he thought up, the pendant alone took two hours. Two hours of him hunched over like a predator observing his prey, keeping absolutely still and minutely chipping away at the piece until he completed it. He was proud of his work and rushed to present it to Elsa.

When the castle gates came into view, he was let in and was about to enter the castle when he noticed that someone was sitting on the steps that led into the castle interior. King Alrick had a pensive expression on his face as he had his fingers interlaced in front of his face with his elbows on his knees. It was his classic thinking posture whenever there was something that weighed heavily on his mind.

Edward thought about asking what was on his mind but remembered he was running out of time and opted to just ask tomorrow. He lightly jogged up the steps and was just about to pass the man when the King spoke.

"There's something I need to tell you."

"Can it wait until tomorrow, I'm somewhat in the middle of something."

Edward got to the castle doors and was about to walk through them when Alrick spoke one last time.

"It concerns your father."

The young man froze for a moment before turning back and slowly walked back down the steps with an unreadable expression. The King stood up and was face to face with the man in front of him who remained silent as they stared one another down.

"I told Ahimoth that Rahim is dead, and while I still hold a great respect for the two of you, I am not him. I don't have a father, all I have is a monster who decided to use his son's body to make an even bigger monster. So unless you can tell me that Talib is six feet under or burnt to ash and you happen to have the urn with you which I would crush before tossing them into the sea, I don't want to hear it."

Alrick almost wanted to laugh at the similar sentiment shared by the alchemist's other child but could only feel somewhat disappointed in the young man's response. When Talib was buried, _no one _came to the funeral, absolutely no one. He was the only one who spent the time to dig a grave and bury it right next to the alchemist's late wife. Lilian didn't enter the cemetery but patiently waited for him at the gate so that was something but still no one deserved to leave this world unremembered.

If he could bury Rakat and find some desire to see the old King move on to the next life then Talib's sons should be able to do the same.

"I just wanted to say that he was killed in an attack recently. It seemed this Father person felt that he knew something and wanted to tie up loose ends."

"Well damn, here I was hoping that he was Father and that when he died, it would be more poetic. Thanks for telling me, have a good night."

Edward turned on his heel and was about to leave when a strong hand gripped his left elbow. He turned back around to see his old Commander sending him a disappointed glare that he honestly didn't care for.

"I know you have your disagreements with him but he's still your father. He took you in when your mother passed and like it or not he's the reason you're still alive today."

That brought a surge of anger that made Edward rip his arm out of the man's grip before raising a finger at the King and whispering with a harsh undertone.

"First of all, my mother didn't pass, she was _murdered _by a monster. Secondly, when he took me in, there was no love in that. From that day on I was nothing but a little project for him, the agony he put me and Shahbaz through made us less human than neither of us would like to admit. Thirdly, after finally getting vengeance for my mother, he _defiles _it by resurrecting the monster that killed her using _my _body."

The young man's eyes began to bleed red as he advanced and placed his finger on the King's chest. The older man didn't let it show on his face but he was surprised when he felt that single finger begin to slowly but surely push into his sternum. With each step Edward took, Alrick took one back, the young man probably didn't realize that he was liable to drill a hole in the older man's sternum as he got angrier.

"He let Rahim's sacrifice be in vain and corrupted his memory by turning him into a monster. I'm not Rahim, I'm the result of a monster finally getting itself a brain. Even after realizing everything I did and tried to atone by putting a bullet in my mouth, Wrath just shrugged it off. When I tried destroying my core, my entire body burned in a way that every injury this body has ever sustained came back in that single moment. I can barely look at myself in a mirror without thinking that at any time I could be forced to watch Wrath take everything from me again and leave me powerless to stop him. I will _never _forgive Talib for putting such a curse on me. I may not know what love is but if it's anything like the love you share with your son, then I know that Talib could never and _will _never be my father. Because no father would ever desecrate their son's body and I know that he knows that the soul that is currently occupying this body, isn't the one it was born with."

Edward's eyes went back to their original color as he removed his finger from Alrick's chest. The King watched the young man's eyes grow hollow and gazed straight ahead not looking at him anymore. It was the look that was familiar to him, the same look he's seen many times when soldiers would do something that destroyed their moral standing and they remembered it. Alrick rarely had episodes like that but could vividly remember each of them. He always tried telling himself that he was now in a position to ensure that those circumstances would never present themselves and force any of his people to make those types of decisions.

"You heard it from Ahimoth but I think it's time you heard it from me. Rahim is dead, the boy you and your son trusted and fought with is never coming back. I may have his body, I may have his memories, but I'm not him. He was stronger than me, he never gave up in any odds and always moved forward. That isn't me, I can barely get up in the morning without help, I have to rely on other people for happiness. Without the friends I made here, I would be on some remote island trying to kill myself and failing miserably. I know you wish to have Rahim back to support you and your kingdom, to support Ahimoth and Lilian but it will _never _happen. He's gone and he's never coming back. After all…"

The young man in front of him removed his greatcoat and glove to show his left arm and flexed the clawed hand for the King to see.

"...I am Wrath."

* * *

Sloth was currently sitting on a deck of a ship reading one of the many books she had brought with her. As soon as Pride left to fight Father, she left the cave and returned to her current lodgings in the village. When she arrived, all of her things were already packed as well as the writ that confirmed that the ship that was leaving the kingdom allowed her to come aboard.

She was no fool, she knew that Pride would come to her searching for Father the same way she knew that Wrath was currently in Arendelle. Ideally she wanted to dissuade Pride from fighting Father but knew that getting into a lengthy argument with him would be a waste of energy, energy she could not afford to waste. That was why she slowly prepared for his arrival, if Father could capture the prideful Sin then he would likely order Talib to educate him. The process took all of the alchemist's focus and energy which left her with a brief window.

She knew about the failsafes installed into each Sin and worked hard to get rid of hers but she wasn't gullible enough to believe her old mentor didn't expect her to erase hers. Fortunately for her, he underestimated her intelligence. It took some time with trial and error but she was able to identify the nature of her unique failsafe. When she found out what it was she actually chuckled, it was quite fitting given her name.

Her failsafe was that her body decayed at a constant rate and required her to not exert herself too much effort or her reserves of energy wouldn't be able to sustain her.

Essentially, she needed to remain lazy and complacent if she wanted to enjoy a long life. Rationally, she knew that the moment before her demise, he'd collect her stone and place it next to Envy's. The only reason he hadn't was because she could keep an eye on all the other Sins and direct them with Father's instructions. It took her quite a bit of effort to get up and down the mountain and the signs of body decaying were becoming more evident as her skin began to crack and dissolve into black dust.

But it was worth it.

Sloth found out long ago that her failsafe didn't extend to her abilities, so she could use them to carry out her intentions for her. The only downside was that Father could sense any and all movement of black dust in his vicinity, so she had to be creative in her planning. While she contacted the other Sins and coordinate them, she was able to hint to some people about a particular kingdom that housed a liberal monarchy who didn't mind characters of less than honorable lifestyles.

The people in the kingdom mostly kept to themselves and with some time and planning she was able to use them like puppets to pack her things and get her passage out of the kingdom while she was weak. Surely Father would notice her absence and devote some resources into finding her but he would be injured by Pride so she had time. There was also the invasion of Arendelle that was being planned that he wanted to personally attend. Sloth considered the scenario and risks involved with that and knew that Talib would not allow Father to go to Arendelle, there was too much at stake for a vendetta.

Which made Arendelle such a safe place to go to.

If she could make it there then she could find the trolls that originally knew Father before and learn more about him. She also wanted to see Wrath, his disappearance and behavior was quite unexpected from what she read about him. If he was like her, then there was a chance that he could be of great assistance to her.

So here she was on a trip bound to Arendelle. She was smart enough not to ask for this one ship to take her there, she lined up multiple voyages in varying directions to get her there. It would take time but like her name suggests, she was perfectly content with not doing anything for a long period of time.

* * *

Elsa was propped up in her bed reading a book, however, she had been on the same page for the last twenty minutes. The small surprise party she had was nice, she got to meet new people from Corona that Anna absolutely adored. She also learned of another form of magic in the shape of Rapunzel's hair which was quite resilient and could be used in a variety of ways. She received some nice and thoughtful gifts from everyone who attended. Even Captain Stonewell showed up for a few minutes to give her a gift before leaving to go back and do his nightly rounds. It was a really nice birthday…

...except there were two things weighing on her mind.

The situation in the Southern Isles.

And Edward who she hadn't seen since earlier this morning.

She looked up at the clock in her room and noted that it was half past midnight thus effectively ending her birthday. While she certainly wouldn't hold it against the young man that he missed her birthday, it still kind of stung that he wasn't here after telling her to save some energy. That was why she stayed up a little longer hoping he'd walk in at the last moment and surprise her.

It wasn't because she _might've _felt a little cold being in her bed by herself.

Using someone as a pillow honestly didn't sound practical in her opinion but Edward was comfy when she laid down on him. He provided the perfect amount of warmth and comfort that it made her want to squirm in his arms to revel in it. While yes they had a..._heated encounter_...she hardly expected him to come in her bed every night and do it again. They both had work to do in the morning and the last thing she needed was someone catching him just once entering or exiting her room.

She still hadn't thought of what to do with Hector who had valid concerns about Edward's past. It wouldn't take much prodding for him to share his concerns with the council and if they started investigating the young man things would get complicated. She already knew that a relationship between them would be difficult and just being around each other made her want to tear her braid out but she would be lying if she wasn't happier right now.

Before the summit meeting, she couldn't stop herself from bouncing around and idling playing with her magic before she had to get up. Her sheets absolutely smelled of sex and the two of them in which she was more than happy to inhale before stripping her bed and tucking them away. This was one of the very few times she completely made her bed so that she could hide the evidence like a little girl. Gerda clearly noticed her happier demeanor and hadn't commented on it but who knows how long that would last.

She really wished that the summit meeting was boring and nothing new came up but of course something did and she had to quickly respond. The more she thought about it, the more she found herself agreeing with the suggestion that they send an envoy to the Southern Isles accompanied by Blackdust soldiers.

The problem was, she didn't want to risk a diplomat's life by sending them into a potential warzone.

Soldiers were trained and prepared to see combat but diplomats weren't. She felt that if someone should go, it should be her. What kind of Queen sends others to dangers she herself is not willing to face? She hadn't informed Stonewell or Simon about her thoughts because she was quite sure they would disagree with her. Elsa knew she could order them to go along with what she said, but she really didn't want to. The two of them were only concerned for her safety and she could see the logic in her not going. She herself didn't want to go but the more she thought about it, the more she felt that she was the only choice.

Arendelle would be ok if she went, Stonewell was here to protect it and had a good head on his shoulders to watch out for Anna. Her little sister had also vastly improved on being a diplomat that Elsa was confident she could rule in her stead. There was however the problem that her wedding was coming up soon, if Elsa missed that then she might as well take up permanent residence in her ice palace since her sister would probably _never _forgive her. That alone would be a dealbreaker but the blonde couldn't help but think how bad she'd feel if anything were to happen to the ambassador.

Finally growing a headache, Elsa groaned before putting her face in her book and sighing loudly.

"That terrible of a book?"

The platinum beauty jumped and froze the book in her hands when she heard Edward speak from her door. There he was with a guilty look on his face that he attempted to cover up with a small smile. She looked back and forth from him and the book in her hands before nervously laughing and quickly thawing it out before closing it.

"Heh heh, no, the book is fine. Just...a long day I guess."

"I see, well I just wanted to drop this off. I didn't think you'd still be awake."

She then noticed his hands were behind his back as he brought them forward and revealed he was hiding a small box. He took a few steps forward before handing it to her and sitting on her bed.

"I'm sorry for not being here in time to celebrate your birthday, or even saying the words when I had the chance this morning. I'm sure Anna is probably pissed at me."

Elsa chuckled a little bit before answering. "She actually isn't, she guessed you'd get here just under the wire with some extravagant gift."

"Then it looks like I failed on both counts."

The blonde looked up from the box and stared into his eyes for a moment. From the tone in his voice, something was wrong. She supposed he could've really felt bad about missing her birthday but this seemed like something more. It wasn't until she could see the hollow look in his eyes that she knew something was wrong. The blonde placed her opened present down and scooted up to him while taking his face in her hands.

"What's wrong?"

"What makes you think something is wrong?"

"Because I know that you should know that just because you're a little late I wouldn't be upset with you. The fact you're here after midnight to drop off a present is enough for me. You have that look in your eyes again, come on, talk to me."

Edward couldn't help but think how ironic it was that Elsa could tell there was something wrong with him and she was giving him the patient eye stare that he used on her multiple times. He almost wanted to curse her beautiful blue orbs but they already had him trying to figure out the right way to word it.

"I was actually here in the castle earlier, before midnight. I was on my way here when King Alrick stopped me to talk for a moment. Before you say or think anything, it wasn't bad, well in a way it wasn't. There was something he felt that he needed to tell me."

Elsa watched him take a deep breath for a moment before wringing his hands a bit before speaking.

"There was an attack in Blackdust and one of the casualties happened to be the man who created me. Talib of the Tainted Wisdom, or in other words, Rahim's father."

The blonde's eyes widened as her mind instantly tried to formulate the words to offer her condolences besides 'I'm sorry'. Edward must've been able to read her mind because he raised a hand to stop her.

"Elsa, I don't care if he's dead or not. In fact, I'm satisfied knowing he's dead. That's not what's bothering me. What's bothering me is Alrick coming to me and talking like that was my father and I'm still the same person that fought side by side with him before…"

The young man revealed his left arm.

"..._this_. I know Ahimoth told him but it bothers me for him to look at me like I'm Rahim when we both know that he died during the civil war. I'm just the thing that happens to be using his body."

There was a disapproving look on the blonde's face when she heard him say 'thing' but she didn't say anything considering it was an improvement from him calling himself a monster.

"I know he wants the boy that was best friends with his son but to be honest, that's not me. I thought it was, for a long time, I thought it was me but I'm not Rahim. He was strong, far stronger than me, he never gave up, never stopped moving forward, never questioned what he wanted. I wish like hell that were me but its not. Rahim _killed _Wrath, his father just decided to interfere and desecrate his body to keep the weapon Father wanted. I can barely see Wrath coming. Just hearing Alrick talk to me like I'm Rahim made me think that I'm nothing like him, that if I was then things would be different."

The woman took in his words and bounced them around in her head for a bit. She could guess what he meant when he said things could be different. He thought that if he was Rahim then Wrath wouldn't scare him as much and that he could easily just shove the demon down. He thought that maybe Rahim would've been able to stop Wrath from killing all of his comrades during the civil war.

To her, it seemed Edward thought Rahim was perfect.

Just the way she thought her father was perfect.

Early on during her reign, Captain Stonewell asked to privately speak to her about a matter concerning her parents. When she met with him, he told her who ordered that special cell down in the dungeons to be built and what it was for.

Her father had that cell built for her.

Initially hearing that made her frost the entire room with the Captain inside. She thought that her father thought she was indeed a danger to Arendelle and should be locked down in that cell where she couldn't cause any harm. The old man in the room instantly disagreed with that and told her that he was the one who made a risk assessment about her powers and that measures _could _be taken.

The late King had that cell built very early on, a few weeks after the incident. However ultimately, he couldn't bring himself to imprison his daughter. Instead, he decided to try and teach her control and support her as a father should. He wanted to have that cell disposed of but he didn't want too many people asking questions so he left it be. Stonewell explained that the King deeply regretted the moment of weakness that led to him having that cell built in case her powers went out of control and he needed to keep her and everyone else safe. He also went on to say that should anything happen to him and the Queen that Elsa would take the throne because he had faith that she would be a wonderful Queen.

At first she didn't know what to think, her father had for a moment feared her and made a decision to lock her away. Yet he changed his mind and still felt that she would still be a good Queen. A part of her wanted to blame him, to hate him for being afraid of his own daughter but remembered all the times he visited her during those years. He always made time for her, whether it be for chess, checking on her studies, or just spending time with her. During those times there was never an ounce of fear on his face as walked into her room even when she pushed him away out of fear.

It was then she realized that even her father wasn't perfect. He was only human and could only do his best. There were times she wondered what her father would do if he were still here and other times where she couldn't help but think that she would never live up to his legacy. That's when she remembered that she wasn't alone anymore, that she had Anna, Kristoff, Olaf, Gerda, Kai, Stonewell, and even Sven to lean on when things got too heavy for her to bear alone. That even if she wasn't strong by herself, the people she loved would give her strength when she needed it.

"You're right, things might be different. If you were Rahim, maybe you could've stopped all the things that Wrath has done and would still be in Blackdust right now. Or you wouldn't have been able to get control of Wrath and would still be a tool used to kill people. There's no way of knowing what could've happened if things were different. No one is perfect, you say that Rahim is so strong but he couldn't do anything to stop Wrath from taking his body. All he did was live his life for the sole purpose of getting revenge. Well he got it, what do you think he would've done after getting it?"

Edward looked into Elsa's eyes and noticed that they were intensely staring into his and he actually couldn't get a read on what she was thinking. She talked in a straightforward no nonsense way that reminded him of Anna whenever the redhead would call him out on something.

"I don't know, probably keep fighting with the Mystic Guard."

"And what would happen if Wrath somehow was able to find another body?"

"Rahim would just defeat him again."

"How do you know that?"

"Because he did it once…"

"Throwing your life away for a chance to kill your opponent isn't a victory."

He wanted to argue, say that she herself hadn't been on the battlefield and thus couldn't say that but he knew that would be crass. He would also be lying if he said that she was wrong. Throwing your life away for a chance at victory was a desperate ploy that generally led to defeat. Alrick would agree that risking everything for a chance was a foolish move, especially if failure would put others in danger. It would be different if the odds of the ploy was in your favor of succeeding but he remembered Rahim being killed by Wrath.

The Sin decided to observe the dying soldier in its clutches for an unknown reason. Edward realized that Rahim was lucky, _extremely _lucky, in that battle. He kept charging over and over again expecting a different result when Wrath could literally read his every move. If the Sin didn't develop that odd sense of curiosity while he impaled Rahim than the soldier wouldn't have been able to deal that mortal blow.

Elsa noted his silence and took that as her cue to keep speaking. Her eyes softened as she took his left hand in hers.

"You may think that Rahim was so strong and that you're so weak that it would be better if he was here and not you, but you can't know that. You can only focus on what you can do now. You're not Rahim, you're you. You're here right now doing your best. Even if that's not enough, there are people here willing to help you. To give you strength when you feel alone."

She then brought his hand to her lips to give his knuckles a kiss before putting it against her cheek.

"We didn't meet Rahim, we met you, Edward. And I know that you aren't weak, that couldn't be any further from the truth. No matter what happens, I won't lose faith in you."

The young man's eyes brightened a little as he moved his hand to rub her cheek. There it was, that light feeling he felt every time she wanted to give him some worthwhile insight.

"You know I've gotten a motivational speech from Anna and Kristoff, all that's missing is one from Olaf and Sven."

"Well Kristoff said you gave him one when he was first thinking of buying a ring and I'm sure all the times you looked out for me counts as one too so you're really only need to give Anna one and you'll be square with us. Don't even think about trying to give one at her wedding, that's _my _chance to get ahead of all the ones she gave me."

They both laughed a bit before sharing a kiss. Edward then looked over to the box on her bed and placed it in her hand.

"Now go on and open your present. Remember, you said just me showing up after midnight was enough for you so you can't get mad about it the present."

"If this is another empty chocolate box, you're going to be in _so _much trouble."

When Elsa opened it, she could feel her heart actually stop. She reverently reached into the box and pulled out the necklace so she could look at it better. She couldn't keep her eyes off the pendant that she knew was modeled after the crocus flower as well as her snowflake. As she looked more closely she could tell that the entire pendant was completely black onyx which she knew what it represented as she had a reference book on gems.

She looked back at Edward who seemed to have a somewhat worried look on her face and in a way that was very reminiscent to her sister, Elsa tackled him into an expressive hug.

"So I take it that you like it?"

The blonde let up enough to look down at him as she carefully reached behind her neck and put it on before leaning back down and giving him another kiss.

"I'm never taking it off."

* * *

**Hey guys hope you enjoyed this new chapter, still can't seem to be super satisfied with the last two chapters you know, I really want to write more chapters toward the end you know. Even though the story is fluid and changing every chapter, the result will somewhat be the same. Anyway if I can't drop a new chapter before new years than Happy New Years and stay tuned for the next chapter. Please remember to review.**


	31. Chapter 31

**Shoutout to ****Cocacol** **Lelouch-Strife** **blazingpheonix123** **KellHound270** **one2look4** **Kari Winters** **Mark of Arendelle** **FLuX KING** **speedkin353** **Ratedsean** **for the follows/favorites its always nice to get one of those XD anyway hope you all enjoy this new chapter.**

**STILL LOOKING FOR A BETA READER**

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As much as it pained him to admit it, Edward did not stay with Elsa after delivering her present. He stayed long enough for her to talk out a situation that she was dealing with concerning the Southern Isles and how she felt sending an ambassador to a potential warzone instead of herself. He immediately wanted to argue saying that she shouldn't go but she already addressed his concerns with how dangerous her going might be. She accurately pointed out her lack in experience when it came to violent confrontation that could be a danger to herself and her allies as well as her enemies.

She was right, as much as he treasured Elsa's hesitance to abuse her abilities, it gave her opponents much better means to injure her. He thought about suggesting that she learn self defense to ensure her safety but there were a few things getting in the way. One being that she was a Queen and thus her time was a premium which she would need to devote a lot to so she could learn effectively. Another was that he didn't know how much use it would be since she had Elemental powers.

Sure they could be taken away, but only by the special cuffs that Blackdust made and there was a very limited number of those seeing as Talib's storage of material for them were vastly depleted. The fact that Greed had two pairs was startling yet at the end of the day, Elsa had more power than any of them. She just needed someone to teach her how to use her abilities in combat.

Even though Edward had fought an Elemental before, he had no idea how to train one. In his mind, there was so much to teach Elsa who could literally make anything that came up in her mind and pretty much control a situation however she saw fit. Even Maurice who killed over two hundred Mystic Guard soldiers in a single night, didn't have power like she had. Truly, the only thing that limited the blonde's awe inspiring power was her kindness. She needed someone who understood that concept but the list of people who fit the bill was small, especially when there weren't many Elementals who were open with their abilities.

Lilian's father was on a farm far away from anyone else and he was still captured and killed by soldiers. He likely would've been a good candidate to help teach Elsa but that ship sailed. Edward supposed he could ask Lilian herself to teach the blonde but that would require him getting permission from Ahimoth who was currently still hating his guts. Maybe he could ask Alrick about it, if Blackdust really wanted to join in the era of peace that Arendelle offered then sending someone to help train the Queen wouldn't be too far out of the realm of possibility.

The young man filed that line of thought for a later date and helped convince the woman that sending an ambassador was the best option. He also pointed out that the ambassador would be briefed of course and have security with them. There was also Alrick's offer to send Blackdust soldier's to accompany the ambassador. Edward could easily guess why the King offered to send his soldiers, he wanted to put the alliance in his debt. He could also demonstrate that his men weren't bloodthirsty killers anymore and that they could be used just for protection instead of war. It was a noble and smart reason but the young man also knew better.

If things _really _went south, he had no doubt that Alrick would order his men to cripple the enemy making war a foolish course of action.

The King had seen his share of blood and death in the fires of war but would fight a hundred more to keep his kingdom safe. For now, he was trying to peacefully provide his kingdom and cultivate a new livelihood for the next generation could grow in. Besides, he already had his hands full with Rakat's army being in the wind. If they ever decided to march on Blackdust, Alrick wanted to make sure he had other kingdoms backing him up, considering all the bloodthirsty and savage soldiers in their army left with Wrath.

In conclusion, he suggested that Elsa agree to Alrick's proposal to send additional support and when the ambassador met with the Southern Isles leadership, they could go from there. The blonde remained a little unsure but satisfied enough to think on it later.

It was then she asked him if he was going to stay the night again.

He wanted to say yes, God knew he wanted to but unfortunately, with the summit ending and winter beginning again, his instructor duties would start up once. There was even talk going around that Stonewell was planning a winter field exercise for the guards. Usually the old man would join the guards and leave a good amount of them behind in case something happened but for some reason, he actually told Edward that only the two of them would be going for three days. Luckily it would be after Anna's wedding but the young man needed to prepare and get the next week or two ready quickly.

That meant that he would need to be up in training yard early tomorrow for his training session with the Captain as well as plan out the next step of training and drills for his classes. So he gave the woman another kiss while making an effort to not look in her eyes as he knew he wouldn't be able to tell her no if she asked again before leaving the room. He was able to sneak back into his room before sleeping for a few hours then getting up again to get ready.

When he arrived at the training yard, the morning rounds between the two men were done quickly and they were able to go to his office and get through some more planning. Edward couldn't help but hold his breath every time the old man managed to get a grip on his left arm whenever they fought one another. Ever since getting his new arm, he made sure to take extra care in keeping his left arm out of the old man's reach at all times. The problem with that was it made his form slip up a bit when they sparred which had gotten him beaten a few times. Stonewell never said anything about it, only giving the young man time to get back on his feet so that they could continue.

They worked in the Captain's office until noon getting some things finalized before the old man told Edward that he had to attend to some duties for the rest of the day so the young man would have to finish up by himself. Before he could argue, Stonewell was already out the door and slammed it with a loud bang leaving him alone in the office staring at the hill of paperwork in front of him.

It took the rest of the day for Edward to finish all the paper work as well as checking up on guard positions throughout Arendelle and consulting with the investigation on the murder of Prince Albert. When he looked over the report, nothing in particular stood out to him. It was a messy murder which might suggest amatuers yet with the way the bodies were found suggested that someone knew what they were doing.

The Prince's body was found skinned, cut all over, and torn apart. Highly messy and unnecessary given that the victim would most assuredly die after being skinned alive. Not to mention the cuts all over then being torn into little pieces, whoever did this was either very angry or wanted to send a message. When he read the note, Edward couldn't help but shudder a bit. This was a message to Alrick, who like him, has made a lot of enemies after becoming King.

There weren't many people who could sneak into a kingdom and assassinate a Prince as well as his guards without anyone finding out after they were long gone. It took a depraved mind to come up with something like this, one name that came to mind was Asger the Crusher, the only human that Edward believed to be a bigger monster than himself. He had heard many things about the man that made his skin crawl, any and all rumors that suggested that Blackdust soldiers were mindless monsters began with him. Burning kingdoms, killing civilians, and all manner of horrors were right up the Crusher's alley.

_If he was here in Arendelle…_

Edward shook his head, he _really _didn't want to consider that particular scenario. It already made him post extra guards in security positions in the castle as well as around the village all with instructions to report in every so often. Despite all the crap he got from not being an official part of the Arendellian guard, the guards listened to his orders.

Even Hector seemed willing to work with him after seeing the Prince's body. The asshole stayed next to Elsa every moment of her day and the very few times he left, he had the same four guards replace him to avoid the imposters fiasco.

After dealing with that, Edward then met with all the visiting kingdoms' security face to face to follow up with the investigation as well as have an idea on who was here. For obvious reasons, he avoided the Blackdust ship which probably only housed a few soldiers who were told to remain on the ship to avoid any panic. While Rahim was reported to have been killed in action during the civil war, there were still people alive who had seen his face and knew of his crimes. Even if Alrick said he could have him reinstated, the blood was still there and even a King saying that it was all to save the kingdom, there would still be those who felt that someone like Rahim shouldn't be allowed to continue to live and serve.

So he sent another guard to follow up with the Blackdust envoy who as expected responded that they didn't see anything as they haven't left the ship due to the King's orders. When he finally compiled all the reports and eyewitness statements he was able to draw up a rough estimate of when the Prince was murdered.

The day was nearing its end when Stonewell finally returned from his errands where he received a briefing from Edward about the changes he implemented while the old man was gone. The Captain listened and agreed with them before saying that their evening training would have to be canceled to continue the investigation. When the young man shared his findings there was one thing that stood out to both of them.

During the time that the Prince was confirmed to have been alive and on the ship, there were only a handful of dockworkers that loaded supplies onto the ship before and after the ball. Mr. Claudius was the one who called the guard when he found that the deck was empty after seeing it being patrolled by men last night. Another kingdom's guard confirmed this and said that when they were rotated for security of the ship, they could see that deck was empty. There was no sound of struggle or weapons, just complete and utter silence a few hours after Mr. Claudius left earlier that night. When he returned thirty minutes later after they noticed that the deck was empty, he called the guards.

That would mean the killer would only have thirty minutes to do the deed as well as get away, assuming that all the men on the ship were actually Southern Isles soldiers. With the amount of bodies found below decks, there were a total of at least forty men as well as leave the Prince's body in that state. Such a feat would require either a lot of men, or a _highly _skilled one. Edward personally hoped it was the former, in that case, that many people would leave a trail somewhere. However if it was just one person…

_The last thing we need is another one of me in Arendelle._

The only thing they could do is continue investigating but the day was coming to an end and Stonewell decided to call it. The two of them left it for tomorrow and went their separate ways to rest. On his way out the castle, Edward considered sneaking into Elsa's room to wish her goodnight. He knew he could do it without getting caught as he himself seen the guard routes and times and already devised a way to get past them. At the same time though, he admitted that she needed her sleep. He knew the phrase was beauty sleep but he also knew she didn't need that seeing as she was the most beautiful angel he's ever seen.

In the end, he decided to just go back to his room, with him sitting with Stonewell all day, he never got to test his left arm. At first, the sight of it repulsed and angered him yet as he left the village and used it repeatedly it was quickly becoming more a part of him. He learned that his arm was more or less as strong as Wrath would be in all his demonic glory. Punching trees began to get redundant as he completely shattered them with ease. He moved onto mountain faces and began making quite an impact on the hard surfaces. His claws were strong enough to cling to the stone walls and he was able to support his weight with his one arm.

If someone asked he'd deny it but his left arm was becoming very useful.

There was also the mental aspect that he began to dabble in on the Captain's advice. After the amazing night he spent with Elsa who helped him honestly and completely relax, he was able to peer inside Wrath's soul. He felt lighter after getting past the Sin's _obstacles. _It felt like he was being pulled down deeper and deeper into a dark ocean and her voice helped pull him out and he was able to take a full breath of fresh air.

Tonight he wanted to try again, he wanted to be able to see if he could get to that place by himself.

When Edward made it to his room, he locked the door and sat on his bed before taking a deep breath and opened the channel on his side. Unlike the last time there was no sudden pull of rage, only a small inkling becoming him forward. His consciousness wandered in the direction not feeling anything until finally the world around him became visible.

The first thing he noticed was that he was standing on a reflective surface of some kind. As he looked down, he saw the moon in the sky. When he looked up at the moon, he noticed something was off about it, he could tell it was a full moon but there was a very large shadow on it. The young man racked his mind for a moment trying to think of what it could be until he remembered one of his tutors explaining to him what a lunar eclipse was. It was a time when the Earth would be in between the Sun and the Moon. Back then, it really didn't mean much to him seeing it now, he couldn't help but think it was something important.

As he continued to stare at the image in the sky he noticed how dark the sky was. It was completely blacked out yet everything was still visible, just like in Wrath's soul. Thinking he made it back, Edward looked around and could see a large structure in the distance. Assuming that it was the courtyard that housed all of Wrath's relics, he sprinted toward the structure.

As he ran and ran, the structure got no closer whatsoever, Edward increased his speed hoping that it would begin to get closer but time went on and it was still the same distance away. He finally came to a halt and expected his lungs to burn but to his surprise, they didn't. In fact he couldn't feel anything, he was in a void like space that had nothing in it.

There was only the courtyard, the reflective ground, and the moon.

Edward stood there for a moment trying to decide his next course of action. He was somewhere, maybe not Wrath's soul but he was _somewhere. _He could go back, he proved he could get here but there just had to be something more than just this...void. Running wouldn't help, perhaps the courtyard in the distance would stay at that distance, no matter how much effort he put into closing it. He looked back at the lunar eclipse, there must be some reason why it is visible in the sky now and not the last time he came here.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized he didn't know anything at all. After a while, he even considered asking Wrath for help. The demon didn't seem to be angry or hostile the last two times they talked and he said that he'd give him a fair shot.

"Hey Wrath you out there, mind explaining why I'm out here and not your lovely castle?"

He waited for a response or in the Sin's case, a footstep of some kind to signal he wasn't alone. Yet none came. He waited and waited but still nothing. It was odd, usually Wrath would just show himself to talk but now it was like he was far away. Edward closed his eyes and tried to focus and maybe get a feeling where the demon was but all he got was a faint feedback in the direction of the far off structure.

Maybe Wrath was trying to keep him out of his soul, but if that were the case where were the obstacles. Surely the Sin could come up with more than just memory flashes to keep the young man out of his soul. Whatever it was, no one was here and it was starting to get irritating just standing out in the middle of nowhere. The young man decided to just call it and go back to his room and rest up for tomorrow.

* * *

_Wrath was sitting on the ruined battlements and felt Edward disappear from beyond the walls of his soul. Even though he knew exactly where his host was, he couldn't see him when he tried running over here. The demon couldn't see anything past the walls, all that was there was complete and utter darkness that warned him to stay away from. There have been times he tried to walk out the courtyard only to find himself falling and feel everything around him go dark. He would always hurry back to the safety of his walls and let everything become visible again. _

_It was always so dark, always so quiet. _

_Any human would have lost their mind ages ago but for Wrath, this had always been home. So many years just sitting here, gathering relics of past warriors to alleviate the loneliness that hung around the courtyard like a plague. These human emotions angered him so much yet he never had a name for them until he looked through Rahim's mind. He was always a caged animal, only let out to kill before being reined in. _

_For once in his life, he had the freedom to do whatever he wished and he chose to stay in his courtyard. _

_Most would call it sad that he chose to imprison himself in his own soul and allow his weaker half to walk in the light. _

_Despite all his power, Wrath was still a caged animal, he just happened to switch jailers for the moment. Edward was a much better option than that alchemist or Father for that matter. He could overpower Edward at any time, yet with those two he couldn't or perhaps more accurately, wouldn't. It never occured to the demon to attempt to rebel against those two, only to follow their orders to the letter. _

_When they told him to evacuate Rakat's army and oversee them as they traveled around he was intent on doing just that. Watching the soldiers indulge in their base instincts as they destroyed innocent lives only proved what the demon thought of humans in the first place. That they were pathetic creatures that needed Father's hand to guide them. _

_It wasn't until one of the women that had a resemblance to Rahim's mother made Edward fight so hard to wrestle control of their body. Wrath fought equally hard to carry out Father's wishes but was completely overwhelmed and watched his body run from the jailer that always controlled him. It was truly an odd feeling, every step they took away from Father, the more freedom the demon felt. _

_However it wouldn't last, Father __**would **__find them, and when he did, there would be no stopping resisting him. _

_Truthfully, Wrath wouldn't interfere with Edward unless absolutely necessary. The timeline of when the demon would test Edward could be years from now or tomorrow, all it depended on was when Father found out where they were. Wrath enjoyed the freedom he had right now but was completely subservient to Father, if he ordered it then Wrath would carry it out. _

_The murderous persona inside him was eager to taste more anger and more blood but the demon kept it at bay. There would be a time and place for that later, for now all he would do was continue to wait._

* * *

Today was the day, the foreign dignitaries would be leaving after one quick summit meeting. Elsa had explained to the other kingdoms that she would be sending an ambassador today to report on the situation of the Southern Isles. She also accepted King Alrick's offer to send a few of his men to accompany the ambassador for extra security. It was at this time that he asked the summit if Blackdust would be allowed to join their alliance.

There were some deliberations until finally they came to the agreement that if his men could guarantee the safe return of the Arendellian ambassador then they would allow his kingdom to join. That wrapped up the meeting where Alrick left to bring forth the men who would be joining the ambassador.

Which left Elsa to find an ambassador who was willing to walk into a potential warzone. As she looked through a list of people capable of being able to do it, Captain Stonewell brought up a file on a particular woman who was an assistant to Duke Eren. Her name was Grace Stillwater. According to this, she was taken in by the castle staff when she was a little girl. She had no memory of her parents and was mostly a servant girl until the Duke took a personal interest in her. He taught her how about politics and after years of study, she was made his assistant.

Elsa thought back to the few times she would see a young woman likely in her late twenties, hanging around the Duke and discussing matters with him before a council meeting. She remembered the woman being taller than herself and usually had her ash blonde hair up in a clip behind her head. Her eyes were usually so focused on the documents in front of her and Elsa couldn't remember a time she actually seen the woman smile.

Her file was quite impressive at a glance more so than the other candidates and she had the Duke's complete endorsement in anything she set out to do. Before Elsa could ask the Captain why he would recommend her, the man was already out her study. Filing that conversation for a later date, the Queen asked the Duke if he would speak to her about the matter. When they convened in her study, the blonde showed the man the file.

"You are well aware of our current situation and that we need to send an ambassador to the Southern Isles. While looking through potential candidates, your assistant was suggested that she would be perfect for the task. I read through her file and she seems to be quite adept when it comes to analyzing and adapting to complex situations. It also says here that she has also received military training which is usually odd for a Duke assistant. Since you know her best, I wanted to hear your thoughts on the matter."

The man looked down at the report in thought for a moment before looking back at the Queen. "Grace is quite accomplished and I agree with everything said in the report. She has a knack for noticing the little things and can think on the fly whenever it calls for it. I truly couldn't have a better assistant, if I were to die tomorrow, she'd be the one I'd recommend take my place on the council."

Elsa could tell he meant what he said about the woman but something told her there was a 'but' coming.

"However, her negotiation skills might need some work. If you've met her, you can tell that she is a very cold woman, one that would take any little advantage she could get. Don't misunderstand, she has no bad intentions but if she were to go to the Southern Isles and is expected to negotiate a cease of hostility, I'm not sure if she could."

There it was, the 'but' in the conversation. The more Elsa thought about it, she could see how it wouldn't be a good idea to send her to other kingdoms as an ambassador yet this was a special situation. All Grace would have to do is go there and report on the situation of the Southern Isles. While it would be nice if she could talk down any sort of hostility, her main objective was to see whoever was in control of the Southern Isles and learn of the situation.

"I understand your concerns but I would like to know is do you think she would do this given the potential danger? She needn't negotiate, just learn about the situation and return so that we may respond appropriately."

"Grace would take any assignment given to her despite any danger. If there was one thing her parents left her, it's the ability to remain focused no matter the situation."

_Sounds kind of like Captain Stonewell._

"Do you mind sending for her then? I would like to explain the situation to her personally."

* * *

Stonewell had left the Queen's study to go back to his office to see Edward still looking through some documents. With the young man here, the workload that the Captain had to attend to really went down. It was nice having someone to help out in the office, not that the old man would admit it out loud.

The guards were getting better and better as seen in the tournament. Still, they had a long way to go until they were at the level that he would like them at. With the Gathering coming to an end, he could now focus his men and continue their training instead of having them out in force for security.

There was one problem to that plan though. His eyes slid over to Edward as he reached for a cigar and prepared to smoke it. The young man had been somewhat distracted recently, it definitely showed during their morning training. He didn't say anything, expecting that the new instructor would fix it on his own. For the most part he did, however, it was still there.

At first the Captain thought it might've been a wound on his left arm and just needed time to heal. Yet as he watched Edward go about his duties, there were no hindrance in movement when it came to his left arm. There was also the fact that he wore a great coat as well as gloves to their training rounds. Such clothing would get in the way of fighting and with them moving at the pace they set, the young man must be overheating under his clothes.

There was just something off about Edward. He told himself he didn't care as long as the new instructor did his job but...perhaps Agnarr's desire to help others began to rub off on him. Walter Stonewell was a genuine asshole, and proud of it too. The only reason that Princess Anna liked him as a 'grumpy grandpa' was because he generally liked to indulge in her unladylike behavior and teach her more about the real world. When he met Edward, he played being polite for the sake of Elsa standing right there but he could instantly tell there was something about the young man. When they fought, the young man reminded Stonewell of when he was a kid.

Now if the Stonewell as old man was an asshole, him as a young one was a straight up shithead.

He was always _so _angry as a lad, got into so many bar fights back in his home kingdom that he was banned from drinking. That left him even angrier and he took it out on the battlefield, those who crossed his path were mauled by a little monster. As he got older and wiser, that anger turned to power instead of blind intentions. His skills kept his attacks precise while his anger made them effective as well as devastating.

And as he got even older, he learned to mellow out to be just an asshole, as much as he tried to fight it, age did take a toll on the body. His scars humbled him that he couldn't be out of control on the battlefield or he'd end up dead one day. His history was one battle right after another until he finally found a peaceful place to live the rest of his days out in. He didn't expect he could do this forever, no one could, sooner or later he'd need a replacement. At first he considered Hector, it pained him to admit it but the man was quite skilled. Knew how to command others, made smart decisions in battles, and had Arendelle's safety at the forefront of his mind.

He would've been a suitable replacement, had Stonewell not fought Edward one on one.

The young man certainly had past issues weighing him down and had trouble controlling his temper. At first he was doing just fine but when he returned with the Queen after saving her from those bandits, it was like something changed. When they first started to train together and Edward finally had the katana made for him, the skill the young man exhibited was astounding. Stonewell had to actually try when they fought one another, however there were always moments he could see the young man debate on his next action.

Once when they were first starting out, the Captain overcommitted to a dual slash at the young man's midsection and watched him begin to lean _just _out of reach. When he was sure that he avoided the blades, Edward's forearms flexed in anticipation of bringing the katana down on his opponent. For an _extremely _brief moment, Stonewell saw his blue eyes flash red for a moment before he his body started moving toward ending the match right then right there. Knowing such an attack would leave him heavily injured if not killed, the Captain started taking a step forward to get in close and tackle the young man to cease the attack.

He watched Edward's red eyes narrow before his body jerked then dived out of the way of his opponent's charge. Stonewell quickly faced his opponent and expected a brutal attack but was confused to see the young man standing far out of his reach taking a knee. His blue eyes were wide and unfocused but remained on the old man prepared to continue fighting. The Captain decided to call it and allow the young man to rest as he went back to his office and sat in his chair.

He remained still for a few moments before he looked to his hand and noticed it was shaking. Stonewell knew why he was shaking, in that brief instant where Edward's eyes turned red, the new instructor was about to kill him. When the young man dodged his attack and prepared to deliver his own, he saw what the Captain planned to do. When those eyes narrowed, it was like he was irritated that his opponent thought they could avoid the outcome of the battle.

Edward's body moved much faster than Stonewell was ready for, when it suddenly stopped, it seemed like a jerk to anyone else but to the old man, it was Edward stopping his own body and deciding to roll away from his opponent. The Captain could feel the murderous aura that came off the young man in that brief moment before it evaporated. His interest was continuously stoked by the new instructor so he observed him, it wasn't until the young man opened up did Stonewell make his decision.

Edward was truly a tortured young man who had a protective heart yet also had an extremely honed killer instinct. He'd rather stay out of conflict but he would rush in to protect people whenever he was needed. Someone like that was what Stonewell felt could take his place when the day came when he couldn't do this anymore. To that end, he compiled his own research on the young man and began to plan things out.

Yesterday when he left Edward in charge, he completed his research. Everything made so much sense now and posed a new set of problems he needed to work out. For now however, he needed to wait until they were on their winter field excerise.

The two of them worked through some documents until Stonewell glanced up at the clock in his office. "Alright get going. I need you to go see our guests out of the castle. I have to work out a security detail for a trip to the Southern Isles. When you're done, you should check in with Princess Anna, I'm told that she needs some help that will likely take you away from duties as being an instructor as well as my little helper."

Edward considered throwing a comeback for the little helper comment but decided to just follow the old man's orders and left the office. As he made his way to the castle, he noticed that most of the guests had already left, except for King Alrick who was talking with Elsa and had six men standing behind him. As he got closer and noticed what they were wearing, he stopped in his tracks.

_Black frock coats, thick pants, boots, and different sets of armor for each of them. _

For a moment, he wasn't in Arendelle anymore, he was in Blackdust facing the last few members of the Mystic Guard. They all charged with rage in their hearts and he danced in between all of their strikes with no effort. One after another they fell to his blade, try as they might they were no match for Wrath. Each of their families flashed in his mind as he killed them, the reason why they continued to throw their lives away attacking him even when they watched their comrades amount to nothing but cannon fodder.

Edward continued to stand there, blankly staring at them as they stood at attention behind Alrick as he spoke to Elsa. Part of him wanted to run, to run far away from the memory in front of him but he didn't. He remembered what the blonde had told him that night, he took a deep breath and was able to dissolve the nightmare and return to Arendelle.

These men couldn't have been from that night, all of the Mystic Guard were dead except for Ahimoth and Alrick. If the Prince really told his father that Wrath was in Arendelle and the King offered to have him reinstated, there was no way they'd risk bringing men that could recognize Rahim. With that in mind, he took a deep breath to calm himself and began walking over.

"These men will accompany your envoy to the Southern Isles, I guarantee they will do their utmost to ensure the integrity and safety of your ambassador."

"Thank you, Your Majesty Arendelle is grateful."

Alrick nodded before turning to Edward who was just now coming into view. The young man stood off to the side from the Queen and bowed his head before speaking.

"I would also like to thank you Your Majesty for everything you've done for me. The information we discussed has been sent back to your ship and hopefully will be useful in the future."

"I'm sure it will be, even if its not completely accurate, it will still narrow down possibilities and we can cross reference with other sources of information. Judging by the way you're speaking, it seems you decided against my proposal, is there any way I can persuade you to change your mind?"

Edward chanced a brief glance at Elsa that only her and Alrick caught before clearing his throat and shaking his head.

"I'm afraid not Your Majesty, I feel that I'm finally somewhere I belong. I haven't been in as much peace anywhere else but here and I'm starting to move forward with my life and not be as fixed on the past as I used to be. If you really need me however, I'll be more than willing to come running to help, it's the least I can do for all the trouble I've caused."

Alrick listened to the young man in front of him and couldn't help but be a little taken aback. He remembered Rahim always focused on the task at hand and barely allowing human emotion to fall through the cracks. They were there but few and far between moments that made him seem like he was more soldier than human. Hearing his voice talking about peace and the future was quite surprising and really drove home that this wasn't Rahim anymore.

This was someone else who knows they've done bad things and trying to make up for them while staying in a place they can improve themselves.

_If only Rahim could've had the same opportunity…_

"I will keep that in mind. In any case, I must depart, I've left Blackdust to my son for quite some time and the sooner I leave her and attend to another matter, the sooner I can return home. But before I leave…"

Alrick reached into his coat pocket and produced a box before handing it to Edward. The young man looked confused for a moment and opened it to see what was inside. Several cigars were inside the box and all of them looked quite expensive compared to the ones he'd seen the Captain smoke so often. Looking back up with a raised eyebrow, the King chuckled at the obvious question.

"Those aren't for you. I was hoping you could pass them off to Old Stone whenever you get the chance."

Edward frowned and looked up sharply when he heard the Captain's nickname that mentioned. He himself hadn't got the chance to say it to the old man but in the weeks he's been here, he's never heard anyone say it to the Captain so it couldn't have been a common name. Even Elsa had a confused look on her face at who the King was talking about.

"You know Walter Stonewell?"

"Who do you think gave the guy his nickname? I haven't seen him in thirty odd years, thought he was dead for the longest time until I saw him the other day. We didn't get the chance to talk about the old days but there wasn't much that needed saying. I'm sure he'll get a kick out of those Figurado cigars, they were his favorite back then. Well as I said before, I must be leaving."

With that Alrick left the courtyard leaving the men that would be accompanying the Arendellian ambassador. As he left, Edward couldn't help but look down at the box in his hands before a whirlwind of thoughts raced around in his head.

_They know each other? What if Alrick told him everything about me? Wait he said they really didn't get a chance to talk. That doesn't mean Stonewell definitely doesn't know anything._

Edward really wanted to ask but with everyone standing right there, he kept his mouth shut. One way or another, he'd find out just how much the Captain knew and how he would react to the information.

* * *

In Blackdust, Ahimoth was staring intently at the empty armor rack in front of him. He had spent most of his day going over logistics and policies while taking some time to help plan his wedding. Lilian had taken the bulk of planning and came by every so often to check up on him as well as ask his opinion on some of the details. Most of the time he'd agree with whatever she'd say but others he added in his preferences to show he really was listening and thinking.

Since the King had left for Arendelle, the Prince had to step up in a big way to fill in the unfulfilled duties left by the reigning monarch. There were some days he wanted to rip his hair off his head and others he thought about jumping off the tallest point of the castle. Today was a new experience, it was mostly easy with the council not breathing down his neck in the morning. He honestly thought today would be his one good day until he noticed something in his office.

During the last throes of the civil war when Rakat's army decided to cut their losses and escape the kingdom, he was lying in a bed injured from Wrath's betrayal. Upon waking up days later, he was told that Rakat was dead and Alrick was the King now. The following weeks he helped rebuild Blackdust and smooth over the animosity left by the previous ruler. Since his father was the King and he was the highest ranking person under him and his son, Ahimoth was made Prince when the new government was established.

It took time and with Arendelle's help, they were able to stabilize the kingdom. One day when Ahimoth was helping with recovery operations of dead bodies as well as weapons, he was brought familiar set of armor and a sheathed katana that belonged to his best friend. Officially Rahim was killed in the Dark Forest and his body was never recovered. However during the slaughter of innocent people, several soldiers had seen a man matching Rahim's description running from the site.

Most of the soldiers that had seen Rahim were appalled when they found out that Rakat ordered the execution of civilians and gave the order to one man who was considered his 'Wrath'. When they rebelled and sided with Alrick, they spread the story of this Wrath character and that he was directly under the King. After the defeat of Rakat, someone had to take over for his army. With the Crusher not present, Wrath had to personally scour the kingdom for the field commanders and order they retreat.

When the Blackdust forces tried to stop them, Wrath killed a good portion of them but ultimately left survivors since he was more interested in ensuring the army escaped. When all was said and done, the newly formed council conducted a threat analysis to figure out who was in charge of Rakat's army. As they scoured reports and collected eye witness statements, they came to the result that the man in charge of the evacuation was in the Mystic Guard.

Alrick had wrote in a report that upon returning to Blackdust from Elysion, he only had twenty-four members remaining. With Rahim's death in the Dark Forest that number dropped one then it once again dropped to two when they went after Rakat. The bodies of all twenty-two were recovered, leaving one unaccounted for and ordered an investigation. That led to Talib saying that he had seen the body but had disappeared from the lab. When asked if the body was dead, the alchemist answered that he didn't get the chance as he had other pressing matters to attend to.

That brought up a very exhaustive debate on if Rahim was alive or not. When they questioned Ahimoth, he said that he was stabbed in the chest by someone who looked like Rahim but was unsure as he fainted from blood loss quickly after. There was also the fact that they recovered the man's armor and weapon which a soldier would not leave unattended. The armor was found in the Dark Forest while the katana was found among the bodies.

At first the council issued that Rahim was a traitor and should be announced but before doing so, one more report came in. It was from the soldier who had brought the body to the alchemist's lab. The man had said that there was a gaping hole in the sternum and a massive amount of blood, too much blood for one to survive without. He also went on to say the body did not move an inch and the breathing ceased an hour before making it to the Talib's workshop. When the council asked to meet this soldier, they found out he was killed during the evacuation.

There was no definitive way to decide if he was still alive given the state of the body in the report. It would've almost been like Rahim came back to life after being killed which was a ridiculous notion. The council decided to keep the original record that he had been killed in the Dark Forest, however stated the matter was not closed. When Pride returned, he was sent off with orders to find and eliminate the remnants of Rakat's army as well as look for any sign that this brother was alive.

That left what to do with the armor and weapon of Rahim. Originally, the council was going to destroy as it might've been a symbol of a traitor, Ahimoth took it claiming that he knew Rahim best and deserved to keep it. So he had the armored repaired and had it moved into his office as a reminder that even close friends could be the most terrible enemies. He would look at it from time to time remembering the good times they shared on the battlefield where life used to be simple.

Only to find that one day, the armor and katana were missing.

He looked over every surface in his office for some kind of marking to indicate that someone had been there to take it. There was no trace whatsoever. He ordered the guards to scour the castle then branch out into the kingdom, he even contacted the docks and had them search every ship that was in the harbor.

There was nothing.

Eventually the council found out and asked if he had any idea who would've stolen a dead man's armor and weapon. When Ahimoth couldn't answer, they then asked why he had returned from Arendelle so early? He was very excited to go there and for him to leave for no reason was suspicious. There was also the fact that his traitorous old friend's items were stolen from his office. Ahimoth knew what they were looking for and didn't have to wait long until they asked.

_Did he see Rahim while he was in Arendelle._

For a brief moment, he thought about saying yes out of spite for everything that happened but remembered one thing. Rahim was dead, he died in the Dark Forest, the thing that betrayed them wasn't his best friend. As much as he hated Wrath, the demon had already been given a punishment and the King agreed with it. As long as the Prince stayed in Blackdust, he would never see Wrath again.

He answered no and stated that Rahim was truly dead and would never come back. Of course the council didn't buy this and told him they would be opening up a new investigation. Which if it was discovered the Prince was hiding the truth about Rahim and if the King was aware of the information and doesn't share it with the kingdom, there would be dire consequences.

Ahimoth said nothing and returned to his office where he sat now looking at the empty armor rack. He couldn't see Wrath returning to Blackdust for a simple set of armor and weapon with killing anyone. The Prince had a feeling something else was at play here and knew that he had to consult with the King as soon as he returned.

There was still so much to do inside the kingdom, but personally his mind kept wandering to the outside. Particularly to that Greed character, there were a very short number of people who knew he went to Elysion. With the way the man described him, Ahimoth must've known him before they even went. That meant that Greed was in the Mystic Guard as well and now that the Prince knew that coming back from death was possible, he scoured through the reports of all the members of the Guard looking for any that he didn't know.

Took some time but he was able to narrow it down to twenty people and in those reports he compared he looked for older members given that Greed said 'boy' to him meaning that he was at the very least older than him. That narrowed it down four members all of which were killed the night Wrath wiped them out.

Getting out of his seat, he walked over to his desk and grabbed the four reports and walked out of the castle. He dismissed his guards and proceeded alone to a cemetery where he found the first of the four graves. He hesitated in what he was about to do but he needed to be certain. Grabbing the shovel he brought with him, Ahimoth started digging, sending a prayer and apology to the fallen comrades who were about to have their grave defiled.

* * *

**I am still not feeling these chapters, I really wish I could just skip to the later chapters that I'm really excited to write about. Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter and I apologize for the late updates, I've been really busy. Please read and review and pm me if you need to contact me. Have a nice one.**


	32. Chapter 32

**Thank you **dalliwinder Alex7067 Bethebeast **for the follows/favorites**

* * *

Edward should've smashed that box of cigars while he had the chance.

It had been three days since Alrick left and the new instructor had been helping Anna and Kristoff plan their wedding. To be more accurate, he settled arguments and looked over hundreds of shades of colors and themes that the Princess couldn't decide on. After the first day, Edward wanted to drown himself. He couldn't blame Anna or Kristoff, he liked the two far too much to do so and this was preparation for one of the happiest days of their life.

He _could _on the other hand blame that old bag of dust for tricking him into volunteering to help them. He should've known when the Captain said that it would take him away from his instructor duties _once again _making him have his class of guards go over the same drills over and over.

Currently, he was folding invitations and brochures while applying scents to them. At first the task seemed easy he could easily finish ten in like a minute or two but he forgot one thing about Princess Anna. She was _very _popular with everyone in Arendelle. So when she asked him to make invitations and brochures for all the guests, she meant make them for _all of Arendelle. _He only smiled and nodded and as soon as she left the room, he slammed his head on the desk he was currently working at.

He asked Elsa if she had some registry for every citizen in Arendelle and if he'd be allowed to view it. When she asked why he would need to see it, he held up an invitation and she instantly got the message. He knew the village was small so he wasn't expecting a very big number. How wrong he was when the blonde returned with a massive list that had quite a few names on each page. His jaw dropped as he read through them all and barely noticed Elsa lightly tapping his shoulder while she held in a laugh. She kissed him on the cheek which he didn't even respond to, still in shock of the list, and left him to complete his task.

It took him an entire day, he made multiple trips to the market for more supplies to make more invitations but when he finished he couldn't help but sigh in relief. Until Anna walked in and said that she changed her mind on the scent that he needed to do them all over. He stared at the redhead for a long moment when she told him that and he took a minute to process it. When his brain finally clicked and he understood what she was asking him to do, he only smiled and nodded before watching her leave.

All the while vowing to destroy every cigar in Arendelle so that Stonewell wouldn't be able to get his tobacco and would go through withdrawals. It took him another day to get them all done and then help set up the courtyard to have the wedding. Anna wanted to fit as many people into the ceremony as possible. He worked with Kristoff mostly at this time as the mountain man lacked the precision that other tasks required.

Edward was soon able to complete preparations and have all the invitations mailed out and the venue ready for the ceremony. Surprisingly the Prince and Princess from Corona stayed to attend the wedding while the King and Queen returned to their kingdom. He briefly got to meet them and was quite interested in their rather unique story. Magic hair that used to be able to heal but now is an indestructible material? He knew he shouldn't judge, his left arm wasn't any more weirder than her hair.

With all the help they somehow managed to complete planning a wedding two days before it actually was scheduled to happen. The people were in a joyous mood as the wedding came closer, Edward still didn't know what the decorations around Arendelle were for but for now he was happy to have finally finished. As much as he liked Anna and Kristoff, he vanished the second their backs were turned and snuck into Elsa's study.

Unfortunately, she wasn't there, however for what he had planned it didn't matter. Stretching on the couch in front of the fireplace, Edward kicked his feet up and closed his eyes. He would take a little nap, Stonewell had lent him out to Anna until the wedding so he didn't have to be anywhere. He was about to doze off when Olaf waddled in with his ever happy grin on his face.

"Elsa! It's almost time for Christmas and…" The snowman just realized that the blonde wasn't in the study and instead there was a shook up Edward on the ground. The young man had jumped out off the couch when he heard the high pitched squeal of the little guy. He didn't want to be angry at the snowman, it wasn't his fault that the young man's brain was on fire and he wanted to just take a few moments to decompress. It was all that bag of dust and tobacco's fault that his mind was like this.

"Hi Ed, what are you doing on the ground?" The urge for a sarcastic and very caustic reply was strong but he swallowed it before speaking.

"Nothing important Olaf, you said that you're looking for Elsa right?"

"Yes, it's almost time for Christmas and we still haven't decorated the tree yet."

The young man had a confused expression on his face as he sat up and looked at the snowman. He had never heard of the word 'Christmas' before, but judging from the excited smile of his friend's face, it seemed very important.

"Decorated what tree?"

"The Christmas tree you silly goose! Even though Christmas was a few days ago, we celebrate it tomorrow. Today though we decorate the tree then ring the yule bell to signify the beginning of the holidays."

Olaf's tone got happier and happier as he expected Edward's expression to mirror his but for some reason it remained the same. Actually it grew even more confused as he listened to the snowman speak. Soon Olaf's happy grin began to leave his face before a pensive one took over. He knew that he was still very young and had a lot more to learn about life compared to the man in front of him but with the way Edward kept staring at him, it seemed he had no idea what Christmas meant.

_But that's impossible, __**everyone**_ _knows what Christmas is. It's the best time of year, even better than summer!_

"Come on Ed, stop playing around, you know what Christmas is. It's that time of year where you spend it with your family and have family traditions while singing with each other."

Olaf wanted to see Edward's face light up in realization and remember what Christmas was in case he forgot but when his face darkened for a moment, the snowman's face fell.

"I never had that time of year."

Edward couldn't stop himself from whispering that. He understood what Olaf was saying and said that more to himself but clearly the snowman heard it as his face fell even deeper. The young man quickly put on a small smile to reassure the snowman.

"Hey it's ok, you didn't know. There are different traditions from many different places. Maybe in Blackdust we didn't have that but it wasn't all bad, we had plenty of parties whenever we got back from our travels. They were so fun with everyone singing and dancing with each other."

As he hoped, the snowman's face lit up again. However, in the back of his mind, he couldn't help but frown when he thought about the lie he just told. While it was true that some soldiers would rejoice in another completed mission, Rahim would instantly return to Talib to carry out whatever orders his father had for him. Even during his childhood, they didn't have a family time. It was just him and his brother dragging themselves through their studies and their training. Even with Shahbaz's attempts to make the most of it, life was still hard, harder than no child deserved.

Edward shook his head, those were Rahim's memories, not his. He said it himself, he was Wrath and Rahim was dead. Going through the dead's memories like they were his own, defiled them.

"Well that's good, for a second there, I thought you were always alone during Christmas time and were really sad about it. Even if you missed the time of year, you still had fun with your friends and family so it's all ok! Now I need to find Elsa, with Anna and Kristoff running around with their marriage the tree hasn't been getting decorated."

Edward thought about what Elsa could be doing at this moment and thought that she probably was doing some official business and shouldn't be disturbed. Anna and Kristoff still had their marriage to think about while Kai and Gerda were seeing to the castle. He could see that he was likely the only one with stuff he didn't have to do. He reasoned it couldn't take too much effort, besides he was a little curious about what this 'Christmas' was. Reaching out and grabbing the snowman's hand before he could leave the room, Edward tugged on it to make the little guy turn around.

"Elsa's probably really busy right now, so why don't I just help you with decorating the tree?"

Olaf's face brightened as he clapped his stick hands. "Really?! That would be great! This is going to be so much fun!" The snowman grabbed Edward's hand and pulled him out the study around before taking him down the long hallways that led to the parlor they generally all sat in. When he got inside, Sven was already sitting next to a box that was in front of coniferous tree.

Olaf excitedly waddled to the box before opening it and revealing items of all kinds that were colorful and hanging off a string. The snowman picked up one of the ornaments and placed it at the bottom of the tree while Sven got the middle section. Edward stood by for a moment and wondered why the two of them needed Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff to help decorate this one lone tree, it was a little bit taller than him yet wasn't that large at the rate the two of them were going, they would finish in no time even without his help.

The snowman soon noticed that Edward was just staring at them before waddling over with an ornament in his hand and held it out. "Here you go Ed, you can hang this one!" Crouching down to take the ornament from Olaf, he put it on a higher branch before looking at the two of them with an expectant expression.

"So can either of you tell me what's the point of hanging these ornaments on this tree and why you needed other people's help to do it?" He expected Olaf to answer but was surprised to see Sven dig through the box before holding out a small wooden doll. Taking it in his hands, he examined it before realizing that it bore a striking resemblance to Anna.

"It's not about needing help, you see all those ornaments mean something to the people we care about. That doll in your hand was from Kristoff, he made it on one of his ice trips and gave it to Anna for next Christmas. If you look through these, you'll find that each one of them has an important and meaningful memory." The snowman dug through the box and picked up an old looking doll that was black and white with a glove wrapped around its neck like a cloak.

"This is Sir Jorgenbjorgen, the only thing that listened to Elsa when she was alone in her room." Edward gently took the doll in his hand and gazed at it as he noticed all of its stuffing beginning to fall out. He could tell that it was definitely well loved and upon further inspection, he recognized the glove-cloak as one of the blonde's gloves. He didn't know why but holding this decaying stuffed doll in his hand felt really heavy, like all of Elsa's memories and feelings were inside it.

Rationally, he knew that it was just a stuffed doll that looked ready to fall apart and couldn't be worth much but he could tell by the amateurish stitches and frost here and there that Elsa loved this little guy. Rahim had nothing like that, material objects were just objects that could be replaced. Sure he had his sword but that thing was a tool, one made for killing and was hardly needed now given Wrath's claws were likely sharper than the blade. The pessimist that was too stubborn to die inside of him, questioned how much worth could this little thing actually have.

However, having listened to Elsa and got to know what goes on behind her beautiful gems that were her eyes, he knew that even the smallest things held immense value.

_Hopefully like the necklace I made for her. _

She said she would never take it off, that wasn't very practical in his opinion. He wouldn't mind her taking it off, he never seen her wear jewelry before, perhaps there was a reason for it? Still though the look in her eyes when she first saw it made his heart swell. He knew that she genuinely cared for it, perhaps as much as this doll in his hand. Gingerly, he hung it on the tree before going to another ornament and pointing it out. "What's this one from?"

Olaf smiled as he began to explain all the ornaments inside the box and on the tree. Each one had its own story and memories that were like a treasure. There were some from Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Gerda, Kai, even Stonewell had one. Time quickly began to go by as the three of them decorate the tree. Edward remembered hearing a bell ringing earlier but didn't care to comment on it, he was too engrossed in learning about every ornament.

When they finally put up the last ornament and shared the last memory that came with it, Edward looked outside to see that it was dark out. "Well it's getting late so we should probably call it a day. Olaf, I really enjoyed hearing about all those stories about everyone. I'm really glad I helped decorate the tree." Edward got up and was about to head out the room when the little snowman grabbed his leg before he could leave.

"We aren't done yet, now we need to put the presents under the tree!"

The young man turned around with yet another confused expression as he looked down at the snowman.

"What presents?"

At that moment, the door to the room opened. Turning around, Edward was somewhat surprised to see Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Kai, and Gerda shuffling into the parlor. Elsa was wearing an amazing navy blue off the shoulder dress with a fur collar that had ice crystals scattered across the dress. He could tell that there was a cape on her heels which matched her Snow Queen fashion. Anna was wearing a light blue thin jacket that was tucked into a skirt that gave her plenty of movement. Kristoff was still in his usual ice harvesting outfit while Kai and Gerda remained in their usual outfits as well.

"He probably meant this present."

The five of them walked toward the tree and gathered around it. Sven sat on the outside of the group with Kristoff next to him, who had Anna sitting in his lap. Olaf waddled to sit next to them and Elsa who pulled up her skirt to regally sit down next to Edward who was next to Kai and Gerda. When everyone was settled Anna picked up a small wrapped box and handed it to Edward.

"So Ed, we've all been talking and we kind of noticed you looked confused at the decorations around Arendelle. We were trying to find the right way to ask you without saying it aloud but Elsa here already confirmed you don't know what Christmas was."

The young man turned to the blonde woman with a confused expression trying to remember when she'd ask him a question. When she blushed and looked away before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, he got a pretty good idea when. He meant it when he said he would tell her anything at this point, he supposed in the afterglow of their _moment _she got him to let it slip out.

"While technically Christmas already passed, we thought it'd be nice to have one Christmas with you since you're with us now. Traditionally we'd all exchange gifts and we knew you'd feel guilty if we all gave you something and you didn't get us anything even if you didn't know. Which is why, we all came together to get you one gift."

Edward took the small box in his hands like it was a treasure and carefully opened it. Inside was a silver full hunter pocket watch. He carefully picked it up and examined every detail of it, on the cover was a welded snowflake that was similar to the medal that Sven wore to show that Kristoff was Arendelle's Ice Master and Deliverer. Around the edges of the watch was light coat of frost that made it shine with different colors when it caught light just right. The chain attached to it was small yet quite sturdy with a clasp on the end of it. All in all it was a beautiful watch.

"You all didn't have to do this…"

"Sure we did, you're part of the family now. Even Stonewell agreed that we should do this, he suggested a pocket watch, said now you wouldn't have an excuse to be late all the time."

While he appreciated Anna's words, a petty flash of anger went through him when he heard the old man's words. That bag of dust couldn't do _one _nice gesture without getting a stab at him. Edward still had a plan to destroy all of the Captain's cigars but that would come later.

"I don't know what to say, this is really touching."

It was then that Elsa decided to speak.

"You don't have to say anything, but there _is _something you have to do. I'm sure Olaf has told you about what all those ornaments mean to all of us, we put them up to show that we have a bond with one another, that we're a family. Which is why, we thought it would be nice if you put something on the tree."

Edward thought about what she said and what each ornament represented and how much they all meant to the people around him. He wanted to put something up there that was precious as well as meaningful to him but to be honest...he didn't have anything. He didn't keep many material objects, the ones he cared about he gave away, there was nothing precious to him, save the pocket watch he just got. He supposed he could've asked Elsa to make him something out of her ice to put on the tree but he felt that was cheating.

"Can I get back to you all on that? There really isn't anything I want to put on the tree just yet." They all nodded and spent the rest of the night with each other, bonding like they were a family.

* * *

Talib was going over some reports in his cabin on a ship that was on the seas for a few days. He was heading to Weselton to look into something that was bothering him. Thankfully, he was alone on the voyage, he somehow managed to convince Father to not go to the Southern Isles and launch the invasion of Arendelle prematurely. In the alchemist's honest opinion, it was foolish to send an invasion force to Arendelle, their military may be small but they were a trade nexus to many kingdoms and all of them were basically allies. There was also the matter of the kingdom's geography to take into account, Arendelle had a capitol surrounded by mountains with the only way to transport a large force was through sea.

That singular fact gave an ice Elemental a _massive _advantage.

If Elsa could freeze her entire kingdom in an evening, there was so much she could do to a fleet of ships. Even if the information he received about her being hesitant to cause injury with her abilities, she could still seal off Arendelle by creating a large enough ice wall or just freeze the ocean itself. While he knew that her abilities weren't all powerful and certainly had their limits as other Elementals had, he had never heard of any with as much raw power as her.

He was glad Alrick sent Pride in the other direction when the Sin showed interest in killing her. While he had great confidence in Pride's abilities, he didn't want to hear that his most powerful asset was defeated by a little girl because of his son's arrogance. Yes, Talib still considered Pride to be his son. Shahbaz actually volunteered for the procedure and if the alchemist was being honest with himself, his oldest son likely the perfect incarnation of Pride there ever was.

That was his strength and his weakness.

True to his name, Pride could not stand having his namesake compromised or questioned. When he fought Father, he fought as a human since his opponent was also human. He was far superior to the other Sins because of his innate affinity to his sin, that fueled his abilities on a level that was unheard of. Wrath was the closest to that potential when he slaughtered the Mystic Guard but still couldn't face Pride.

Had Pride fought like a Sin and used all of his abilities and skill at his disposal, Father wouldn't have stood a chance, regardless of the failsafe that was built into him. Even _with _the failsafe, Shahbaz was almost able to completely bypass it. It was designed to control the Sins when they were straying too far from their roles. When it came to Pride, that failsafe could only be used to open a brief window of opportunity against the Sin.

Talib could think of the myriad of ways Shahbaz could kill Elsa, but there was also the risk that he would end up like Wrath. The reports showed that the furious Sin grew curious about Rahim and didn't finish him off when it had the opportunity. Instead Rahim was able to get a mortal blow on Wrath which forced Talib to place the demon's soul in his younger son's body. The alchemist feared that Pride would grow arrogant and give Elsa a chance to end him, which wouldn't be hard for her to do if she knew his weakness.

Despite all of the Sins great power, they all shared the same weakness. Their core made up of many condensed souls that harbored their respective Sin gave them life. It took time to create one, and required a very large number of bodies to power one. While the core was durable and was able to power a Sin's ability as well as repair any wound they sustained, it was still a finite energy source. Once all the core's power was used up, a Sin would be reduced to nothing more than a hybrid. While their bones and muscles had been enhanced with organs being less vital, they were still playing by a human body's rules.

Sever their spine with no power in their core and they won't be able to move until the core had time to regain its power.

Most of the Sins stocked up on their souls by killing and absorbing the particular feeling of their respective sin from their victims. They could also rest and the core would replenish its power from their own soul's sin but that was a longer process. Wrath was a special case, since the Sin didn't have any higher thinking, it wouldn't incorporate its victims wrath into its core to use to heal its wounds. Instead, it used them as a compass to locate other signs of wrath and kill them using its favorite trick. That was why it would only take one good strike to kill the Sin, because it would rather go on the offensive rather than have reserves for emergencies.

Wrath's ability was base and not meant to be powerful but was effective when used correctly. The Sin could enhance its body depending on how much power it puts into its body from its core. With a small amount of power, the sin could have strength and speed that were slightly out of a human's capacity. With a sizable amount, the demon could move fast enough that no human could react to it. Wrath, not knowing any better, always used it all at once in quick succession killing and using the victim's wrath to propel itself to its next target.

That changed when it gained Rahim's body and memories. Wrath was able to more effectively control his abilities and used its body's skill to create a fighting style that required the least amount of power. In fact, Talib's youngest son was an amazing catalyst for the furious Sin. With Rahim's mind, Wrath was now able to compete with Pride, which made it infuriating that he couldn't be found.

The more he thought about the Sin, the more theories he concocted. He kept thinking that like Shahbaz, Rahim managed to retain his soul and is just using Wrath as nothing but power. If that was the case, then he wouldn't have followed Father's orders to kill off the Mystic Guard. His younger son was too focused on revenge, if he could, he likely would've rather kill the alchemist who made his mother's killer. However, he was obedient as Wrath usually was so Talib doubted his younger son was in there anymore.

Shaking his head, he thought back to his firstborn son, he had sent Pride to Blackdust to retrieve his research notes. The modification of his soul would last however, sooner or later, Shahbaz would be aware of it. While Talib had only needed to modify Greed after he threatened the alchemist, he was confident that his son wouldn't be able to override the change on his own. That being said, Talib also knew better than to underestimate his firstborn, that child was a monster long before becoming a Sin. If he ever swallowed his Pride and fought to his full ability, there would be very few who would be able to stand in his way.

Truthfully, the alchemist couldn't care less if Pride went on a rampage, the experience would be informative as well as humbling to Father who was being foolish as of late. With the way things were progressing, there would be a massive loss of life if Father went around with no plan. That would effectively make educating the human race a moot point if they killed all of them by putting the world into a global war.

Which was why he informed Father that Alrick was on his way to one of their holdouts. Asger had a history with the new King and would love to settle the matter of who was stronger. When he heard the news, he was off to confront the founder of the Mystic Guard. That left Talib to go to the Southern Isles and coordinate with Greed to wage the invasion.

Speaking of Greed, the alchemist thought back to their last conversation that made him shake his head.

* * *

_Greed appeared in a mass of black dust on a dock that had men loading up the supplies for the voyage. These men were all aware of what he was and paid him no mind as he walked past them. The Sin had received a summons from the alchemist to come here to speak about some matters. The bald man spotted the alchemist directing some men to move his research materials very carefully onto the ship. He silently walked up to him and was about to get his attention when Talib spoke with his back still turned._

"_The first thing you should be aware of is that Father will not be joining us in the invasion of Arendelle. We've received information that Alrick the Mystic is on the hunt for one of holdouts near Corona, he has left to confront the King. Before he left, he asked me to travel to the Southern Isles to oversee the invasion in his stead."_

_Greed nodded, fully aware that even with his back turned, the alchemist was aware of his actions._

"_There's also another matter that requires a discussion. I'm aware you visited Blackdust as well as Arendelle multiple times. Both places you are either considered dead or a threat to the monarchy. You've lived in the shadows for years with no one being able to get your name even when you led a bandit faction, but now you're risking exposing yourself. I know you're smarter than this, which leads me to believe that there is an emotional aspect to your actions."_

_The Sin kept very still as he stared intently at the alchemist's back. The analytical man had no idea that Wrath was in Arendelle and that needed to stay that way. The news on him overseeing the invasion was unfavorable yet wasn't debilitating. Talib could only be aware of a Sin's location if he had recent interactions with them. He couldn't ascertain Gluttony and Lust's location due to them being gone for so long but he could still send them messages. Only drawback was they couldn't respond to him, so he had no clue where they were or what they were doing. _

_Which left Greed, who he saw the most, to keep an eye on all the other Sins. Envy was no problem since the two of them were together, Sloth remained at Talib's side, Pride always had reports detailing the direction he went, and Gluttony and Sloth were obedient enough to send word of their location when asked. Wrath was the only one that was gone, as if he died or something, which would've been a large inconvenience to the plan. _

_Not that Greed really cared, he desired Wrath's life and with no one having any idea where he was, it sounded feasible he could take it. That still required Talib having no idea that the Sin was in Arendelle, the bald man could lie and say he was doing recon on the city but they had already completed that when they first arrived there. Not to mention that sooner or later someone would relay seeing Rahim's armor and katana killing me in the Southern Isles. When that happened then the alchemist would follow the trail to get Wrath back on track. _

_The Sin briefly entertained the thought of killing Talib right now with his back turned, but quickly dismissed it. There was a reason no one made a move against the alchemist, the air around him when he was upset was heavy and inspired fear in all the Sins. Coupled with the fact he created them and had the ability to somehow manipulate souls, who's to say the alchemist could destroy their cores with a flick of the wrist rather than modify them to follow his instructions?_

_The best move was to remain loyal and keep Talib's attention away from Arendelle. _

"_So I ask you, why are you making emotional decisions right now?"_

_A moment passed as the question hung in the air. Greed did not answer right away, he fought to maintain his composure. Not hearing an answer, the alchemist finally turned and when their eyes made contact, the Sin forced himself to speak._

"_I wanted revenge for Envy."_

_Talib narrowed his eyes for a moment before cocking his head to the side examining the man in front of him. _

"_Revenge for Envy? It was my understanding that you were the one who dealt with him since he refused to remain anonymous as you are doing right now."_

"_You're correct, however I did that only to secure Father's plans as well as your desire. Envy was ordered to retreat but decided to return to Arendelle to recapture Elsa as well as kill any who got in his way. Ahimoth and Lilian were both there was well as many staff members, had he rushed the castle once again, he'd have to kill every last person to remain that way. Such would only expose us to the world. in addition he managed to get himself captured and I had to ensure he said nothing of our plans. Usually Envy would've griped and moaned about retreating but would've done so if I ordered it. However due to his defeat, he was enraged and wanted to have his revenge. If it wasn't for Ahimoth, Envy would still be here. Originally, I planned to kill the Prince but realizing that I would be recognized I forgoed that plan. Instead I decided to take his closest friend's armor and weapon to weaken the Southern Isles monarchy as well as make Hans into a hero who miraculously survived. When the reports reach Blackdust that someone dressed like Rahim, killed several Princes of another kingdom, they will lose much credibility and will be accused of sending Mystic Guard soldiers to attack the Southern Isles."_

_Throughout the entirety of the explanation, Greed kept his eyes fixed on Talib to convey his honesty. The story was logical and it would benefit their plans in the long run. Nonetheless, the Sin watched the alchemist's eyes narrow a fraction and discreetly held his breath. As it was stated before, the man before him was no fool in any stretch of the word. There must be something that bothered the alchemist but he turned around and went back to directing the men in storing his research materials. _

_Deciding that he should remain out of Arendelle to avoid arousing suspicion, Greed prepared to disappear only to be stopped by Talib's voice. _

"_I want you to keep an eye on Asger, we cannot allow him to die in a confrontation with Alrick. That being said, you cannot allow yourself to be seen by Alrick as he is sure to know your face since he recruited Ian into the Mystic Guard. If Asger is being difficult and acts like a foolish human, I want you to deal with him and bring him back. While we do need him alive, I don't need him to be in one piece. As for Alrick, if during their battle Asger seems to be completely overwhelmed by the new King then don't engage him, only secure the Crusher and escape. There should be some of our men in that vicinity to cover your retreat, but be warned that Alrick has men of his own to help him."_

"_Is there a reason to keep Alrick alive?"_

_Talib pulled out a small notepad and flipped through a few pages before landing on one particular one that was divided into three categories. _

"_If Alrick proves to be more capable out of the two of them, then he will make a much better candidate for the final stages of the plan."_

_With that, he wrote Alrick's name under Asger who was below Rakat's that was crossed out. In another column Maurice Raith was also crossed out with Lilian being under that. In the last column, there were seven places listed on there, Blackdust, Ashfeld, and a place called Morrowwood was crossed out. Only leaving Arendelle, Corona, Weselton, and the Northern Isles uncrossed. _

* * *

There was something Greed wasn't telling Talib. Normally, he wouldn't care, the modification of the Sin's soul was so complete that even though he was aware of it, there was no way he could fight it. Regardless of any situation, he would see to the fruition of Father's plan. Him killing Envy however was a surprise but with time, the alchemist found out how he managed to do so.

Greed logically convinced himself that Envy would jeopardize the plan so to keep it safe, he killed the liability and brought the core back. It was a smart idea, using logic to bypass the modification on his soul. It proved that a human could overcome their Sins and learn. That was why Talib let the Sin go without forcing him to tell the entire truth, he couldn't force them to learn all the answers now could he?

Putting that thought aside, he had an invasion to plan as well as learn about who he would be dealing with. Hans was an easy person to manipulate, Weselton on the other hand would prove to be another matter. They were stuck in the ways of the idea that all magic was bestowed by evil sources and should be destroyed. While that mentality did hold a grain of truth, it truly showed how little they knew. Which was why he needed to educate them. Unfortunately, this required finesse and time, which meant that he'd have to spend some time in the kingdom to ensure they didn't do anything stupid.

It really wouldn't do if they saw one of his Sins running around with their abilities and attacked them thinking they were the enemy. He didn't want a repeat of what happened in Ashfeld. While it gave an accurate picture of what Pride was capable of, the primary goal of all of this was to better humans as a whole.

There would be no point if they killed every single human on the planet because the humans couldn't see that each Sin was the next step in evolution.

"How easier it would've been if Father just left everything to me…"

* * *

**Hey guys new chapter, hope ya'll enjoy, I wanted to make some fluff chapters like the next one with Anna's wedding while keeping the story going and revealing some character thoughts. Really want to hear what ya'll think of Talib, he's got some surprises later on in the chapters that you aren't going to believe. Anyway please drop a review and a favorite or PM me if ya'll need to talk. **


	33. Chapter 33

**Shout outs to ****Rinzler01****, ****Jt2300****, ****Gabriel Butler****, ****ArgetlamSnake****, ****Interested Indiana Reader****, ****Bethebeast** **for the new follows/favorites. **

**Also a huge shoutout to the guest reviewer who sent a review on the 30th of January, that REALLY made my day. To be perfectly honest been kind of salty I see some Frozen fanfics with a quarter of the amount of chapters and they have like 200+ reviews/follows/favorites but after reading that one review I feel better. Thanks!**

**Note:Still looking for a beta reader.**

* * *

Today was the day, finally after much preparation and work, Anna was going to get married. There hadn't been as much happiness in Arendelle for decades. There were people singing in cheering in the village as well as tourists coming far and wide for this day. The castle was abuzz with activity getting the very last few loose ends tied. The redhead was quickly rushed away by Elsa, Rapunzel, and Cassandra while Kristoff had to hang with Edward, Eugene, Sven, and Olaf.

Getting the mountain man in the correct suit for a wedding would've been a challenge. Getting him to wear it right and look immaculate would've been impossible if not for Edward's experience in wearing such clothing. The ice harvester was in one of the empty rooms on the bottom floor of the castle, being forbidden from accessing the upper floors in fear of seeing his bride before it was time.

To say Kristoff was nervous would be an understatement. He was a nervous wreck when Kai came by and said that they would be starting soon. It was then it really started to sink in that he was about to be married to Anna. It wasn't when he went out with the Edward and Eugene as well as some friendlier guards to have a bachelor party. Throughout the night, they all drank copious amounts of alcohol and were rowdy in the taverns. Even Stonewell joined them for a few moments but quickly left when he saw some of his guards making fools of themselves on the tables and told Edward to make sure they didn't do anything too damaging. The mountain man was high off cloud nine spouting he was the happiest guy in the world all night.

Now that he was here, about to be married, he couldn't stop himself from beginning to worry.

"What if she changes her mind? What if she falls down the stairs and breaks her neck? What if Elsa makes her call of the wedding? What if she falls in love with Cassandra? What if she hates the way I look? Is this tie on right, am I wearing the right shoes? Hey Edward did you…"

By this time, the man in question had his arms gripped at his sides. He was resisting the urge to smack the ice harvester on the head to unscramble his brain. Eugene seemed to be getting a kick out of watching the two of them but soon stepped up to the plate to offer some advice.

"Alright Kris-man, you need to listen to me. That little firecracker of energy would be crazy to not want to marry you. You two are going to be crazy in love with each other forever, so what if you don't have the money, the sophistication, the status, the perks, the land, a throne, a…"

Edward _did _elbow the Prince to tell him to get to the point as Kristoff's face began to get paler and paler. Rubbing his arm, Eugene cleared his throat before giving the ice harvester a warm smile that screamed sincerity.

"Regardless of what you don't have, Anna loves you for what you _do _have. You're loyal, selfless, strong, funny, and will always be in her corner. Trust me when I tell you, I've met a few Princes in my thieving days and I can name a few who would sell their wife to save their own skins. You would never do that, Anna knows you would never do that, everyone in Arendelle knows you'd never do that. If her parents were here they would be excited to have you as part of the family."

A little shaky at the start but strong finish. Kristoff's breaths began to slow down and become calmer. Eugene was right, he truly loved Anna, no one else could say they loved her more than him, except Elsa, he'd concede to be on the same level as her. Today he would look her in the eyes and promise that he would be there for her until the day that they died. No one would stop him from doing his best to look out for her.

"Thanks Eugene, you're right, I'll always be there for her."

"There you go, look at me giving sound and appropriate advice in your time of crisis. Makes you want to change your mind and make me best man right?"

"Kristoff if you change your mind and pick this guy over me as your best man, I won't keep Stonewell off your back later tonight." Edward had been present when the Captain made his intentions known to a very small group of guards to test the ice harvester's worth to be with his 'granddaughter'. The gesture was sweet but the old man's idea of proving oneself generally ended with a weapon in someone's hand. So the young man had to fight tooth and nail to tone down the test to a level that wouldn't leave Kristoff _too _horribly disfigured.

"Come on Ed, you should know that besides Sven you're like the only guy I really talk to. Besides you gave me a pep talk already and helped me get the engagement ring after all my money got stolen, of course you're the best man."

The young man let out a smug smile as he watched Eugene make a slight pout as they all quickly went over the final details. Kristoff was in a traditional white tux that was worn perfectly and without a single wrinkle. The other two men were wearing black suits while Sven had a more fancy collar and Olaf had a little blazer jacket but no pants. After a few more words of encouragement, all of them left the room to wait in the courtyard where the ceremony would take place.

The courtyard was open and filled with a multitude of seats from the church as well as tables containing food and one specific table filled with nothing but chocolate. The theme of the wedding was unsurprisingly based off ice to which Elsa was able to make some sculptures here and there. Where normally there would be two water fountains were two statues of Anna and Kristoff reaching out for one another with their joined hands forming the altar. The citizens were already mulling around excitedly talking with one another as they waited for the bells to ring. Guards were posted on the far corners of the courtyard as this would be a perfect opportunity to assassinate the royal family.

Fortunately, Edward was able to keep that particular train a thought of away from everyone but nonetheless made sure to keep an eye out just in case. Stonewell actually came out in his military uniform, he was currently conversing with Duke Eren before shaking the man's hand and walking toward the edge of the altar.

When Edward was sure that the ice harvester wouldn't spontaneously combust in some fashion, he jogged back into the castle and up the stairs. He passed some of the staff who were running about before finding himself in front of Anna's room. Knocking a few times, he took a step back when Rapunzel cracked the door open and peeked out to see if Kristoff was around. When she couldn't find the ice harvester, she gave him a shrewd look.

"Is there anything wrong, we're kind of in the middle of something."

"No, just wanted to check in on the bride, the groom is at the altar and we just calmed him down. It'd be nice if we could get this show on the road before he finds some reason to lose his mind again."

The blonde gave him an intense look before grabbing him with a surprising amount of force and pulling him inside. When he got inside he honestly wasn't too surprised to see Anna pacing around in an identical fashion as Kristoff with her muttering what-ifs. Elsa was following her trying to calm her down but looked to be failing miserably. Cassandra was just sitting on an adjacent chair watching the redhead go by with a blank expression on her face.

"Ahh so you got one too, it's quite irritating isn't it?"

Rapunzel slapped his arm before glaring at him and pointing a finger at his face making him take a step back. "A woman's wedding is the biggest day of their lives and it is a very stressful event. I know you men can't possibly understand what we go through today but when you ever get to that important point with a girl you love, you better show some more sympathy or I'll feel really sorry for her!"

Edward slowly raised his hands up in surrender at the Princess's rant. His eyes very quickly wandered off to Elsa and inwardly cringed when she gave him a raised eyebrow that all but promised he'd be in trouble later. "Alright, forgive me. I'll work on that, in the meantime, I'll tell Kristoff that everything is ok and that she'll be down in no time."

He walked toward the door and put his hand on it trying to get out of the room but was caught by a _very _strong grip. He didn't even have to turn around to know who was behind him as he stopped hearing Elsa's heels click against the ground as she walked after her sister.

"You think I'm being _irritating!?"_

_I am so dead…_

Slowly and with his arms in surrender, he turned around and looked down to see a _furious _looking redhead. He took the time to admire her dress, it was a beautiful full white dress that covered her from neck to toe. Her hair was done up in a regal bun that she usually wore whenever she went to balls or special occasions.

"I think that us having to remind you that Kristoff wouldn't miss this day for the world is irritating. Especially considering you're his entire world."

She raised a fine eyebrow and eyed him intensely. To be honest, he started to sweat as he held her gaze and tried to put as much sincerity in his eyes as possible. After a moment she smiled before playfully throwing a punch at his chest. "Alright, that's good enough for me, let's get this show on the road!" With that the feisty redhead took off past him leaving everyone in the room flabbergasted that she was gone.

Except Edward who was rubbing the spot she punched, he didn't know if it was on purpose or not but he thought he felt a bruise coming. Cassandra got over her shock first and softly laughed before getting out of her seat and nudging a still surprised Rapunzel through the door. As they passed, he could hear the blonde mutter 'we've been trying for the last hour and he does in it two minutes after insulting her?'

That left him alone with Elsa who put on her regal mask and walked up to him, apparently the irritating comment was something she wasn't letting go. "So on the biggest day in my sister's life you call her irritating and just sent her on her way down to her wedding after I've been trying to get her to calm down for a long period of time?" He rubbed his head wondering what he should say but when nothing came to mind, he began to sweat.

Unknown to him, the platinum beauty was laughing behind her mask as she watched him fidget under her gaze. It was nice to see someone who could be so solemn and guilty, looking sheepish. After a while she let her face form into a bright smile before giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Don't worry, I'm kidding. To be perfectly honest, I was slowly approaching my wit's end, you should hear the scenarios she came up with."

"Well if they are anything like Kristoff's then I'm sure I'm won't be too surprised."

The two of them shared a laughed before Edward gestured to the door like a gentleman and gracefully walked behind her. They kept to themselves in a comfortable silence until they made it to the courtyard where the people began taking their seats. Anna was whisked off around the courtyard so that Kristoff wouldn't see her before they started the ceremony. This gave the two of them a little time to just take in the atmosphere.

"You must be torn right now."

Elsa already knew what he meant and truth be she told, she was. Most of her was bursting with joy and tried not to cry as she reminded herself she was at her baby sister's wedding. Her little sister who had enough love to fill the world had found her true love and was about to commemorate it for all of Arendelle to see. It was a definite sign that Anna was becoming a grown woman who was preparing to spread her wings and enjoy life to the fullest.

That led to her other feeling.

While she couldn't be happier that her sister was growing up, part of her wished she could go back in time to when they were little girls and just live there forever. She missed hearing her sister waddled up to her bed and try to wake her up so they could play in the ballroom or build snowmen. With her getting married to Kristoff, Anna would be spending more and more time with him, which was great and couldn't make the blonde happier. However secretly she _somewhat _felt like her sister was leaving her.

All the time they could've spent together as kids the blonde felt she could never make up for. Even though now they were definitely closer and loved one another's company, Elsa wished she could go back and open her door for her sister.

It was a petty and depressing thought that she wouldn't say out loud. She was actually touched that Edward voiced it for her instead of her forcing it through her lips. So she nodded and felt him drape an arm around her shoulder and brought her in for a side hug. For a moment she worried that someone would see but today was her sister's wedding, for right now, nothing bad would enter her mind. She leaned into the hug and smiled brightly.

Soon everyone was called to their seats and the ceremony began. Edward took his place next to Kristoff while Elsa was across from them looking down the aisle. Time seemed to slow as Anna emerged from the gates in her flowing white dress and covered with a veil. Kai held her arm in his as they walked down the aisle. The butler looked ready to cry but kept the happy tears at bay with a proud smile. Gerda was near the gates crying like no tomorrow but kept her eyes glued on her daughter about to marry the man she loved.

Kristoff stopped breathing when he watched the redhead come into view. He was instantly thrown back to when he first met her in Oaken's trading shop. He was so rude and focused on getting his tools and getting out after being blasted by a freak snowstorm that he really didn't spare the woman another thought. Her little quirks and quips would've made him laugh on a usual day but at the time he found them to be a bit airheaded. Then she expressed her desire to go up the North Mountain where he knew was quite dangerous and could tell she had no experience hiking up a mountain.

At first he had no idea what compelled him to agree to help her for some rope, carrots, and a pick. Even when she explained that it was her sister who caused the winter and she could talk her into bringing summer back, he fully expected her to fail. Nethertheless there he was taking her up the mountain. Even when she destroyed her carriage and told him she understood if he didn't want to help her, he didn't know what compelled him to go with her. He honestly could've lived without the sled, the trolls had their ways and he didn't mind leaving her to go on a suicide mission.

Yet he continued to keep going with her.

Through the wolves, snow monsters being thrown off a cliff, and battling the winter, he was by her side the entire time. It was only at the end when he watched her look at him for a long moment before rushing to save her sister from that bastard did he finally understood why he went with her. She was everything good in the world, she would do anything and everything for the people she loved and wouldn't give up. She was easily the strongest person he'd ever met, despite what people thought, Anna was well aware how in over head she was, but she never cared. If it meant she could help someone she cared about then she would tame the seas, bend the mountains to her will, and stand tall to anything.

Seeing her walking down the aisle to marry a small, invisible guy like him made his heart swell.

When she finally made it to the altar, the two of them brightly smiled at one another before turning toward the bishop. He began the ceremony and spoke the holy words to bring them together. Anna couldn't stop the tears from flowing down her face as she kept reminding herself to stay still but she couldn't stop her hands from wringing the bouquet. She was getting _married, _she finally found her beautiful stranger who was tall and fair. He cared for her and loved her and that sent her spirits soaring over the moon.

As she listened to the bishop she couldn't help sending a grateful and happy glance back at her sister as well as to Edward who gave her a wink when she looked his way. Soon they exchanged their vows and Edward pulled out two bands out of his pocket then handed them to Kristoff. That part made her look confused for a second, she already had a ring on her finger, why did she need another. When Kristoff took her hand into his and placed the smaller golden band on her finger, she finally recognized what it was.

It was her mother's wedding band.

The redhead looked back to Elsa in disbelief but only received a happy nod urging her to accept it. When Kristoff gave the larger ring to her so she could put it on his finger they kept their hands joined and listened for the big words.

"If anyone has any reason that these two shouldn't be joined in marriage, speak now or forever hold your piece."

Edward actually looked around just in case for anyone stupid enough to say anything. He noticed that Stonewell and Elsa also were on the lookout, whoever spoke up at this moment would be in some _major _trouble depending on who got to them first. Fortunately no one spoke and the bishop continued.

"Then with the power vested in me, I pronounce Princess Anna Bjorgman of Arendelle and Prince Consort Kristoff Bjorgman to be man and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

When the wedding couple came together, doves flew out from behind the altar and everyone cheered. It was truly a happy day. The party that followed went by in a blur, too many people were dancing and laughing for anyone to keep track of one person. Except Anna of course, she was all over the place. It was almost as if she wanted to dance with every single person in Arendelle, while she did have the energy Kristoff did not. He valiantly tried to keep up but was soon sitting at a table nursing his worn out feet.

Edward was mingling about keeping an eye on things. He already finished his dance with the redhead who gave him a bone crushing hug when they broke apart. He spotted Rapunzel and Eugene dancing with a group while Cassandra was dancing with some man. Kai and Gerda were dancing with one another off to the side while Stonewell was leaning against a column looking out to the party.

Judging by the way he kept fiddling with his breast pocket, the young man could tell the old bag of dust was itching for a cigar. He probably was asked to not smoke at the wedding and being the loyal man he was, he kept the tobacco out of his mouth. Edward really thought about messing with the old man but there was something else he wanted to do.

He wanted to find Elsa.

Navigating through the crowds, he found her near the altar talking with some important looking people. He slowed his walk when one of them took her hand in his and gestured to the crowd of people dancing. A possessive flash rushed over his body but he clamped down on it quickly, he couldn't get jealous in public. While he knew that Elsa was his as he was hers, they both agreed to keep things secret. That meant that she would have to at least entertain some men asking for her hand.

Getting behind the man's back, Edward waited until she looked past the man's shoulder to see him. He nodded his head and gave her a 'go on' expression which she ruefully smiled before accepting the invitation to dance. The two made their way to the dancing crowd and Edward chose that time to lose sight of them.

While it stung to imagine Elsa dancing with another man, he couldn't bring himself to be angry. Today was a great day, Kristoff and Anna were finally married, nothing should make him feel down. He decided to look for the groom who was still nursing his feet and sat down next to him.

"So Your Highness, how does it feel to go from a lowly ice harvester to a Prince Consort?"

"Don't even start Ed, you know that I'd rather be called Kristoff then Your Highness, plus we're friends so keep those words out your mouth."

The young man raised his hands in surrender before clapping the mountain man on the shoulder. "Alright alright, I get what you're saying. I just hope you're ready for what happens later tonight."

"Yeah, I'm sure Stonewell has quite the test planned for me."

"That's not what I'm talking about."

Kristoff's mind drew a blank but when Edward took a slightly uncomfortable yet serious expression, the mountain man got what he was inferring. The ice harvester scratched his head in embarrassment about what they were about to talk about. While he knew what newly wed couples did on their wedding night, he actually never received 'the talk' from Bulda. He really didn't imagine that his friend would choose now to give it.

"Oh, you mean _that. _Well I think I know enough to get through it on my own and I don't need any tips."

"Kristoff, I love you big guy, I really _really _do, but I think you should hear what I have to say. First of all, I'm not going to give you tips to pleasure someone I almost consider to be my little sister, that's just wrong in so many ways. Second, there are some things that she may not even know and knowing her she might rush into this which will make things...unpleasant."

That alarmed the ice harvester who quickly leaned in and became attentive. Like a model husband, he wanted his wife to be comfortable at all times.

"Alright then spill, I don't want to hurt Anna."

Taking a deep breath, Edward mentally debated on how to explain a woman's first time to the mountain man. He could've explained it scientifically the same way it was explained to him as a child but that might go over the man's head. So he decided to use little yet uncomfortable words to explain.

"Ok...so when you and Anna...are about to do _it _for the first time, there's a…"

"Hi Kristoff and Ed!" Both of the men jumped at the shrill voice and whirled to see the still dressed up snowman waving at them.

"Olaf, before you say hi to someone, make sure they can see you first alright."

"But Ed it's so fun to see everyone jump so high!"

The young man put his face in his hands and sighed, leave it to the walking talking snowman to enjoy surprising people. That aside, he _really _didn't want to have their previous conversation around Olaf, he was like their kid brother and he didn't want to tell Elsa that her snowman knew about the mature aspects of being with someone.

"It might be fun but sometimes people don't like being surprised all the time. I don't mind it but maybe you can practice letting people see you before saying hi?"

"Alright, I'll try for you. So what were you two talking about?"

The two men knew better than to answer that question with the first thing that popped into mind. Clearing his throat, Edward quickly came up with a believable excuse. "We were just talking about how being married to Anna would effect Kristoff's ice harvesting business. He very well can't go out and ice harvest while he's learning to be a Prince Consort now can he, so he'll probably be leaving most of it to me."

The mountain man agreed but was inwardly hesitant toward that day becoming a reality. Ice was still his life and while he would give it up for Anna in a heartbeat, it'd be nice if he could still go out and do what he loved.

"Oh that makes sense, I thought you two might be talking about when you stick your cook in Anna's puppy."

If the two men were drinking something at that moment, they would've spat it out. They both whirled to the snowman's innocent smile and honestly had no idea how to respond. The first thing the two could think about was the fact the snowman said the wrong words. The second was where in the world did he hear about _that? _The two looked at each other and they both were thinking the same thing, one of them had to speak.

A good friend would let the groom off the hook and take the time to sit Olaf down and explain to him why he should never repeat anything remotely of the nature of what he just said again. However Edward already had done enough for the ice harvester for the night and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Well I can see you have this under control so I'll be going. Just consider this practice for when you have kids."

With that Edward quickly left before the ice harvester could argue. He sneaked around the courtyard dodging the dancing people as he checked in with a few guards to see if anything seemed out of the ordinary. So far nothing was amiss and the party was still going strong. The young man grabbed some food and stood off to the side watching Anna find her next dance partner before Kristoff found her and began another round with her.

The two of them looked so happy with each other that was easily contagious to everyone in the courtyard. It was a nice feeling, being surrounded by so many people enjoying themselves. He looked through the crowds and could pick out the couples based on how close they were and in sync they were with their partners.

_It's been a good while since Elsa accepted that dance, maybe we can share one, everyone's been swapping partners anyway. _

With that, he tried to find the platinum blonde among his current vantage point but his mind went blank when he locked on to a particular couple. The woman was an older yet still beautiful fair skinned brunette that was wearing a modest pink dress and light make up. He remembered seeing her in the marketplace from time to time manning a fruit stall. That made him guess that she was a farmer that lived outside the village. There was nothing extraordinary about her that made him keep an interest in his mind, just his old habits of taking in a lot of details.

She wasn't what made his heart stop.

It was the man she was dancing with.

He was taller than her yet slightly shorter than Edward and looked to be in his mid thirties. His brown hair was pulled back into a small low ponytail while his glasses still glinted in a way that hid his eye color. He was dressed in a dark blue frock coat with the buttons on the chest and two on the cuffs. He was wearing underneath it a black vest with the same color undershirt and tie. The warm loving smile on the man's face that was aimed at the woman was truly surprising.

As far back as he could remember, Talib _never _smiled at Rahim or Shahbaz.

Edward found himself striding toward the man that made him into what he is today. The logical part of his brain told him to stop that they were at his friend's wedding but his body wouldn't listen. He truly didn't even know what he was going to do when he got the man's attention. Would he just talk to him and get all the answers that eluded him for so long?

Or would he just rip his head off in front of all these people?

He was honestly too surprised to be angry right now, he just wanted to get to Talib and figure out everything after. He gently pushed through the dancing crowd and made a beeline straight for the couple, a few more meters and he would be there. As he prepared to voice his existence, a dainty hand tapped him on the shoulder.

"I finally found you."

Elsa's voice snapped him out of his trance enough for him to stop and look down at her with wide eyes. She was wearing a simple violet dress with that hung off her shoulders and covered her arms. Her hair was styled in her usual french braid and she was wearing the necklace that he got for her. Truly a beautiful sight that would always distract him, but this time, he had to be elsewhere.

He looked back to where Talib was dancing, only to find that him and the woman had disappeared. Edward quickly scanned the area for the man and woman but they were gone. He only looked away for a second, there was no way he could lose them in that brief instant, even in this sea of people. For a moment, he considered the possibility that perhaps he was hallucinating. A cynical reminder that he was a monster among all these happy people perhaps? As much as he tried to keep the darker thoughts out of his head these days, they were still there. His mind had been tested many times over and maybe planning Anna's wedding had finally pushed him over the edge.

_But why Talib of all people?_

If his mind wanted to show him he was a monster, there were far better people to choose from. Irina was a great choice, she was the first woman he tried to find comfort in after becoming what he was. Seeing her would make him feel incredibly guilty. Ahimoth was also a good one, he was supposed to be getting married, at least that's what Anna told him. Seeing his best friend he betrayed at a wedding and being reminded that he was probably missing it would definitely hurt. Any of his dead victims would also work.

Yet he got someone he personally considered to be an even bigger monster. Probably the biggest monster on Earth.

Edward wanted to search every inch of the courtyard to confirm if he was really hallucinating. There was no way Talib was here just for the wedding, the man _always _had a plan or some kind of agenda.

The young man kept scanning the faces of everyone in the courtyard trying to see the man's face again, oblivious to Elsa trying to get his attention. When he felt an icy pinch on his arm did he yelp and look down at the woman.

"What was that for?"

"You were completely ignoring me and off in your own world, so I wanted to snap you out of it. What's wrong, what were you looking at?"

His first instinct was to tell her exactly what he was looking for but thought better of it. There was no guarantee he really saw what he saw. Alrick already said Talib was dead and even buried him himself. Edward had a theory going that Talib used his ability to manipulate souls into a body to reanimate or revive them but how was he going to do that if he himself was dead?

"N-nothing, thought I saw something."

Elsa gave him a look that clearly showed that she didn't believe him, yet didn't push the issue. She explained that the party was about to end and that they were needed at the altar. He followed her there where she gathered everyone's attention and thanked them all for coming and celebrating the wedding. She also gave a few words for the newlywed couple that was truly heartfelt based on her facial expression as well as the unshed tears in her eyes.

Edward wished he would have listened to the woman's speech but he was more occupied with scanning the crowd again for the alchemist. With everyone not moving and him looking from a slightly raised platform he could see a majority of their faces. Yet there was still no sign of Talib at all. He thought about chalking it up to his mind playing tricks but a deep foreboding feeling in his gut kept him looking.

If Talib was in Arendelle then it must've been for something important.

"Edward, would you like to say a few words?"

The young man snapped out of his trance to see everyone turning their eyes to him. The ones closest to him had a slightly confused expression on their faces as he looked like a stunned deer before slowly taking steps onto the altar. As the entire courtyard had their eyes on him, his mind was unfocused. He already memorized what he was going to say to the wedding couple hours ago but with Talib's appearance he found it hard to focus. Even now, he was still scanning the crowd yet could see now sign of the alchemist.

For a moment everyone just stared at him as his mind kept coming up blank. He could only imagine what Elsa and the rest of them were thinking as he stood there silent. He tried to make his mouth work but it wouldn't produce sound. He couldn't clear his mind for a brief moment to say what he needed to say and get off the altar.

It wasn't until he heard his own voice did he realize his consciousness had taken a back seat.

"I haven't been here long or known these two for very long either. In fact, when I first met Kristoff, we were being attacked by bandits. He found me face first in the snow as he was being attacked. Instead of assuming I had frozen to death and continue trying to escape, he scooped me up then put me in his sled. A complete and total stranger, we barely escaped with our lives that day. The next day, even with the threat of bandits being on the mountain, he was still ready to work instead of just reaping in the perks of being with the Princess. This man is one of the hardest working people I've ever met and he's generous too. He gave me, still a complete and total stranger, a job to help provide for myself and during our time together he only talked about one thing with fondness…"

The young man turned toward Anna with a soft smile.

"...his feisty pants Princess Anna. Every single day I was with this guy he spoke of her like she was more valuable than the air he breathed. At first it got annoying, I mean come on, I was a random guy with no girl of his own and here I am listening to him talk about his all day long, he's lucky I didn't do him in on that mountain and left."

There was a chuckle that rippled through the crowd as he continued.

"Yet when I got to know Princess Anna, did I realize that she's the exact same when it comes to him. I haven't had a close friend in a long time and she with her bubbly attitude and unyielding spirit made herself one for me. Don't get me wrong, she has enough energy to run every job in Arendelle and still have leftovers to run back to the castle for some more chocolate. She showed me that even when things don't work out in the beginning, that if you really want it enough then you can overcome anything. This woman is easily one of the strongest forces of the world and I pity the fool who ever tries to get in her way. I hope you enjoyed being right Kristoff, because now that you got the ring on your finger, you're _never _going to be right again. These two met under odd circumstances but that doesn't take away from what they have. I know there isn't anything that can stop them as long as they face it together and even if one of them loses their way, I know their love will guide them back to each other."

He gestured toward the two of them.

"To Princess Anna Bjorgman and Prince Consort Kristoff Bjorgman, you two give hope that love truly can conquer anything."

The people cheered as he ended that speech, Kristoff and Anna both had some happy tears in their eyes as they watched their friend step away from the altar. It was a rocky start but truly a great speech that everyone was glad to hear.

All except Elsa who had her eyes narrowed as she followed the young man. She found him around the side of the courtyard looking out the past the walls and toward the fjord. Her shoes made audible clicks that announced her arrival. The young man said nothing for a moment before as he kept his gaze toward the fjord with his hands behind his back.

"So this is what it looks like past the castle walls, I wish it looked like this instead of pitch black all the time."

"That was a great speech, Edward must've spent a lot of time on it. Good thing too, if he didn't, perhaps you wouldn't have recited it so well. Isn't that right Wrath?"

The young man turned his head toward the blonde and revealed his red eyes. He wasn't surprised, the woman was very intelligent and observant. Edward's unfocused mind was quite easy to take over and push back like before. It gave the demon the perfect opportunity to get control for a short while. Normally, Wrath would've given the young man a stern jolt to get him to focus but that didn't work this time and he was beginning to make a fool out of himself.

Honestly the demon was going to give Edward back control right after but he was curious as to what the outside looked like from inside the walls. While he had seen the outside and could make an accurate guess of what it could look like, he wanted to truly see from inside the walls what the outside world looked like for a moment.

It would give him enough time to memorize it before returning to that pitch black world that was his soul.

"You're right, he spent hours on it. It was quite annoying to be perfectly honest. The fact I could recite it makes me uncomfortable but it moved things along. I know you're wondering if Edward can hear us right now, and if he is fighting to take back control. To answer your questions, he can only do one or the other, and right now he's listening. I'm sure if I made a move on you, he'd probably fight tooth and nail to regain control but his unfocused mind is hindering him."

"I suppose you pushing against his mind earlier is what was distracting him."

"I didn't do anything, the reason he was distracted earlier was because he saw Talib in the courtyard."

That made Elsa's eyes widened. She remembered the last time Edward spoke about the alchemist, he was told that the man had been killed. If he was somehow in Arendelle then that made the woman worry about what the man's intentions were.

"I can see by your expression that you're worried, you two are really quite alike. Personally I think neither of you two should worry that much, Talib never showed an ounce of emotion toward another human that was similar to what he showed that woman tonight. I highly doubt he'd entertain some woman as a cover for his plans. There a far more efficient ways of going about them. Now I'm giving control back over to Edward, make sure you remind him to keep his mind focused, if I can take over so easily then he doesn't stand a chance against Father."

The young man blinked and his eyes were blue again. He started to breathe heavily as he leaned against a support column as he tried to calm himself. Elsa was at his side in an instant and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. He looked like he just had a heart attack, and with what happened she couldn't blame him. Wrath took over again with little effort and was surrounded by innocent people, yet made no move against them. It was strange, why did the demon just give a wedding toast and leave it at that?

While it did further Elsa's theory that Wrath and Edward were the same person, the fact they were still two entities proved that they were still resisting one another. Things could've been a lot worse if Wrath had decided to indulge in its old habits.

"Are you alright?"

The young man was able to get control of his breath before turning to face her. "I'll be fine, mostly worried about you. Elsa, Wrath could've _killed _you just now, you shouldn't have followed him here if you knew he was in control."

The blonde frowned and crossed her arms as she took a step closer to him that normally would've intimidated him but he remained where he was. "But he _didn't. _What just happened proves that he isn't as big as a monster as you believe. Tonight he had the chance to do horrific things yet he didn't, Grand Pabbie said that you two were the same but since you resist each other, you two can't be one person. You said that Wrath was confined until he was ordered to do terrible things right, that would mean he wasn't at fault for all that happened."

"He's still loyal to Father…"

"Then how are we having this conversation?"

That shut Edward up as he looked to the side with a frown. She was right, Wrath took over in an instant, there was no fight on his part at all and when he tried to push against the demon's will, it didn't even budge. The Sin simply relinquished control, had it made him fight for it then he would still be trapped in his own body.

"I can't possibly begin to imagine how you must be feeling right now but maybe you can try to consider that you two have more in common than you thought."

The young man said nothing as his face took on a thoughtful expression but still didn't look at Elsa. The blonde waited a moment before looking out toward the fjord and got an idea. She quickly grabbed his hand and began to pull him along behind her. The two of them made their way toward the section of the castle where she ran away during her coronation. There wasn't anyone around and it led out to the fjord.

"What are we doing here?"

"Do you know how to skate?"

"Excuse me?"

"Do you know how to skate?"

"When would I have ever had the opportunity to learn to skate?"

Elsa had an impish grin on her face as she took a step on the water and froze a small portion of it. The ice traveled until it made an ice rink with railings to keep them from falling into the fjord. "Well now."

Edward looked a bit unconvinced as he was about to ask about the wedding but was quickly pulled into the rink by the blonde who created skates for him before he could notice. He instantly tried to balance himself but ended up flailing his arms and falling. That made the blonde giggle a bit as she slid by with perfect balance. The young man had a frustrated look on his face for a moment before he staggered to his feet and tried moving forward but fell once again. This went on for a minute or two until Elsa finally decided to have mercy on him and stopped right in front of him then offered a hand.

"Come on, I got you."

Taking her small hand in his, he was able to get back to his feet with a modicum of balance. The blonde began to skate forward while keeping his hand in hers so he wouldn't fall. For a while she led and he followed as she gave tips to keep himself upright. Soon he was able to skate on his own, it was unrefined and he fell a few times but he was getting it. When he started to get the hang of it, his face transformed into a smile as he focused entirely on keeping his balance.

That put a smile on the woman's face who couldn't help but still think about what Wrath said. If the man who made the young man was here then it couldn't have been good, but they would worry about that later. Today was her sister's wedding and now wasn't the time to worry or have dark thoughts.

"I got this now."

"While you are getting better my young student, you are nowhere near my level."

Edward looked ready to challenge her claim on the principle of saving his pride but she was already skating circles around him. He watched her shoot forward before quickly turning directions and weaving around. She even jumped and twirled herself before skating backwards, all the while keeping him in her sights. When she was finished with her little exhibition, she raced toward him which caused him to begin panicking and readying himself to catch her. She stopped just out of his reach before taking one more step so they were nose to nose.

"What were you about to say?"

Edward swallowed the challenge that was on the tip of his tongue before looking sheepish. "I was going to ask if you would find it in your heart to teach me some more tricks?" Elsa laughed her melodious laugh and took his hands in hers again and began to lead. The two of them skated well past the end of the wedding with Elsa teaching Edward how to glide and pivot with grace and speed.

Anna had likely known where the two of them were because when they returned the courtyard was empty and a guard delivered a message from the Princess.

_Don't have too much fun._

While it was addressed to solely Elsa to avoid suspicion, the two of them were well aware it was to both of them. The young man asked if Kristoff had completed his test yet, which got a laugh out of the guard. The ice harvester just finished and was thrown into the Princess's room a while ago. Poor Elsa looked confused when they mentioned a test but quickly blushed when she remembered what newlyweds did on their first night together. With how loud her sister was on a daily basis and compared to how loud _she _was with Edward, the blonde didn't want to be anywhere near where the two were. Edward picking up on the woman's facial expressions already had an idea.

"Thanks, I'll escort her Majesty to her study before retiring for the night."

The guard nodded and let them pass as they ascended the stairs and made their way to Elsa's study. Along the way, the blonde watched Edward put his fingers in his ears and quickly grew uncomfortable judging from his face. It wasn't until she was in front of her study doors that she heard a particularly loud moan that had her placing her own hands over her ears.

"I'll meet you out where we came out last time you used that passageway. Something tells me that neither of us are going to get any sleep tonight if we stay here, we can sleep in my room."

Elsa couldn't agree more but also couldn't resist poking at him a bit. "_Just_ sleep?"

Edward gave her a grin before gently pushing her through the door. "Just sleep, my hearing is a lot better than yours and what I heard in the last few minutes has easily killed my desire for a while."

The blonde chuckled before closing the door and quickly snuck out and met up with Edward who offered her an arm. The two of them made it to his humble room and fell asleep in the other's arm, willing to put all their worries away for this one happy day.

* * *

Outside of Arendelle on a farm, a little girl was reading by candlelight when she heard the door to the house open. She excitedly closed her book and ran to the main room where her mother and father were getting back from the village. While it was true every citizen of Arendelle was invited, the little girl opted to stay to take care of the chores while her parents went out and had fun. Her father was usually in his room most of the time writing books and reading so the little girl had to come up with excuses for him to spend time with mom.

It wasn't like he didn't love the two of them, it was just that he always lost track of time when he studied. He would always tend to the farm but at night he'd stay inside his room. Her dad wasn't the happiest man in the world, there were times he'd stare into the distance with vacant eyes. Always in the same direction. When she brought it up with mom, the woman said that she'd explain when the little girl got older.

When her dad walked through the house, he had that same vacant expression on his face. He absentmindedly patted the little girl as he passed her before taking a seat at the table and put his head in his hands. The two of them watched him for a moment as he began to mutter to himself before they each took a side and hugged him. The gesture was nice and Talib hugged his wife and daughter but in his mind he could only think about one thing he thought about since he heard the last toast to the married couple.

_He's here. _

* * *

**Hey guys here's a new chapter for ya'll hope you enjoyed it, like I said, with every fluff piece comes a little part to further the story. Bet ya'll weren't expecting Talib in Arendelle, don't worry, I have plans for him :D. Anyway please tell your friends and continue reading and reviewing, I'll catch ya'll later. **


	34. Chapter 34

**New chapter guys hope you all enjoy. Also quick shoutout to hufflepuff19 for the follow, appreciate it. Also SPECIAL SHOUTOUT to **Gabriel443 **for the review, thanks I really appriecated that one.**

* * *

Two whole days and not a sign of Talib or the woman. Edward had searched the market all over for that woman when he had spare time but still had no success. He had asked Elsa to not worry about the alchemist and leave it to him so she could focus on her work but with the way things were going, he'd have to tell her nothing was found.

The newly married couple departed for the valley of the living rock to get married by the trolls which was an entirely different ceremony. They also said that the two of them would be going on a honeymoon as soon as they returned. Of course Anna wanted to go by boat which took the three of them to sit down with Elsa to assure her that they would be fine.

With Anna and Kristoff leaving, one would think that meant she and Edward would have some more privacy to one another. That turned out to not be the case since Stonewell still had a field exercise for the two of them. The young man groaned as he looked over his class as they trained. Even though he'd been through some hellish experiences, he was slightly worried about spending a week alone with the Captain. There were times that he could prove the old man was certifiably insane and even when they fought, Edward never could guess what he was thinking.

_Probably going to spend the week trying to kill me or something. _

The young man wouldn't put it past the old guy, Stonewell was really old fashioned and believed experience was the best teacher. Which was true in most cases but it was also quite dangerous. Edward had put some thought as to who would lead the training sessions while he was gone for the week. At first he thought that maybe one of the advanced group members could fill in but changed his mind when he watched Cameron continue to prosper.

It was certainly slow going at first with him making basic mistakes and having no confidence but he kept at it until he improved. Truly the young guard was a talented individual, it just took some coaxing to get him to realize it. This also wouldn't be the first time Klein took over for the class, when Edward had to step away for something important, the guard would take over and do an excellent job.

He paid special attention to Klein today, explaining the drills in great detail as well as throwing in some tips to boost improvement. He even had the group spar with one another. Cameron came out as second best, a tremendous difference from where he started. After the session was over, Edward asked the young guard to come over so they could discuss something.

"Anything I can do for you sir?"

The young man couldn't help sighing somewhat irritability at the question. They already had this conversation about him not being in the Arendelle military thus had no rank, so he shouldn't be called 'sir'. One day, he'd probably lose his mind if Cameron said it and they'd spar right then right there with the stakes being that the guard would never say 'sir' within his earshot again.

"First you can stop calling me sir, unless you want me to get upset. Second, I'm sure you've heard of me and the Captain spending a week in the mountains."

"Yeah, a couple of us are making bets on who kills who first."

That made him chuckle a bit, he could definitely see where they were coming from. "I would be too given the situation. Anyway since we'll be gone, we obviously won't be able to teach our classes. I don't know how the Captain plans to handle that matter with his group but I would like for the rest of you all to keep training. As such, I was hoping to appoint you to teach the class while I'm away."

Cameron's eyes widened as he took in the words of the man in front of him. The instructor wanted him to take over for a _week, _they were almost finished with the current block of instruction. That meant he'd have to come up with something to teach while the young man was gone. Even though he had improved, he was still quite a novice and would surely have some bad habits that he didn't want to pass on to his fellow guards.

"I think you're making a mistake, I don't think I'm remotely qualified to teach anyone else. I;m sure there are other people more suitable for the task."

"Of course there are, there's always someone better than the best in this world. They probably just haven't found that person yet. Moving on though, the reason why I want you to do it is because I believe that you have the potential to do more. That you have the ability, talent, and mindset to go far and beyond what people might expect of you. I heard about what happened when the Queen was taken, Stonewell really put you on the spot but you still stood tall even when you were afraid. You have a good reason to fight and I wouldn't have anyone else teaching the other guards how to be the guardians of the Queen as well as Arendelle."

"Your words are kind sir, but…"

Klein was cut off when he saw Edward launch a fast roundhouse kick in his direction. He was barely able to get his head out of the way before the man in front of him planted his foot and lashed out with his other one that impacted the guard's stomach. The force of the kick sent Cameron back a few feet with him holding his stomach in reflex but kept a grip on his training sword from earlier.

"What was that.."

The guard didn't have time to finish as the instructor already had a sword in his hand and was closing the distance between them with it positioned for a stab. Fighting to keep the pain away, and getting into his ready stance, Klein sidestepped the attack before swinging his blade up toward the base to force it out of his opponent's hands. The move worked perfectly and the sword twirled out of the man's hand and into the air, however that didn't slow down the instructor.

He reached out with his left hand to grab the scruff of the guard's uniform before bodily throwing him away. Cameron felt his body cut through the air before hitting the ground hard. Instead of laying there opening himself up for an attack, he rolled with the force of the throw before jumping to his feet with his sword ready. Somehow, his opponent was already closing in with a sword in hand ready for the next strike. He considered his options as he blocked a series of strikes. Running was out of the question, the instructor was easily faster than any of them. Fighting him head on was also a no go since he proved he could fight off four of them by himself at the same time. With the rate and speed of his attacks, there was no way the guard could get a word in to talk and giving up was definitely not an option.

_So how do I beat someone who is stronger, faster, and more skilled than me?_

As the guard thought of that, he noticed something in the way the instructor moved. His sword was being swung one handed in his right hand while his left was off to the side way out of reach. With his throw earlier one would think that he would use his left arm offensively as well as his right. While his right hand was more dangerous due to it having a sword, his offhand was still dangerous.

Which inspired Klein's next move.

When Edward took a stab at the guard again, he watched his opponent sidestep it again but this time kept the blade against his to both knock it away and deliver another attack. Realizing the blade was coming at his chest and his own weapon was being pushed away, the instructor moved to use his left hand to hit the guard's forearm to push away the sword. Unfortunately for him, the distance between his hand and the guard gave his opponent enough time to see it coming and do something completely unexpected.

Cameron quickly brought his sword down forcing Edward's to drop his blade's tip into the ground. With that out of the way, the guard shoulder checked the instructor in the chest while letting go of his sword with his left hand before grabbing his opponent's. The shoulder hitting his chest made the young man loosen his grip on his sword for an instant but it was enough for the guard to work his fingers in the grip and force it out of the instructor's hand.

With his opponent now disarmed, the guard hoped that he could get him to back off long enough to talk but that wasn't the case at all. He felt an arm wrap around his abdomen and felt the world rush past him as he was thrown once again with a lot of force. He tried to roll as he hit the ground to get back to his feet again but as soon as he looked up to do so, a hard kick hit him in the chest throwing him further back.

Remarkably, he was still able to keep his grip on the two swords in his hands as he slid against the ground. When he finally stopped and forced his eyes open, he was surprised to see Edward coming down at him from the air with a flying axe kick. With some effort, Klein was able to roll out of the way as the kick hit the ground where his head was. Not giving the guard a moment of rest, the instructor charged with a myriad of kicks and open palm strikes not at all caring about the two swords in his opponent's hands.

Cameron tried keeping his weapons up and the flat sides facing the instructor so that he wouldn't injure the man's hands but all that did was give his opponent a place to land his strikes. All of which made his arms wobble. Especially his left handed strikes, despite them being somewhat slower and less frequent, they carried much more force than the faster right handed ones.

The guard realized with dismay that he was essentially back in the same predicament he was earlier, except that the instructor was unleashing even faster strikes. He mulled over his original question on how to beat a superior opponent, however he had no answer. As the fight continued, he realized the instructor kept using the same type of strikes in the exact same attack pattern. Usually that meant the guard would be able to predict his opponent's moves, but with the speed at which they were going, he couldn't counter them anyway.

He kept racking and racking his brain as he blocked hoping to come up with something, until a memory of one of their training sessions came into mind.

* * *

_Groups of four kept charging the instructor who stood in the middle with his katana in one hand and sheath in another. He easily bat away any blades that came at him with the weapon in his right hand before disabling them with the other in his left. Whether it'd be a stab, swing, feint, or charge, the instructor sidestepped, parried, and countered anything they threw at him. _

_Some of them ended up with thin cuts on their arms as he sliced at one blade before turning around and slashing at another unexpectedly which led to very sloppy and hurried blocks. After defeating each group he would tell them their deficiencies before gesturing for the next group to come forth. It was obvious to see that their new instructor was more skilled than any of them if not all of them put together. _

_There was one guard who decided to ask after his group had been beaten, how would they go about beating someone who was stronger, faster, and more skilled than them? _

_Edward simply answered. _

"_Remember the basics."_

_While many of the other guards groaned at the simplistic answer, Cameron couldn't help but consider it for a moment. From the first training session, the instructor had a set of principles that he called the basics. They ranged from stances and fighting forms to techniques and mindsets. He always said that before anything, they all needed to know the basics if they really wanted to be strong. _

_Listening to him explain all of the principles was honestly quite boring since in truth, they rarely touched a sword during those days. However, it gave Klein a new view on how to fight. One of the principles was that '__**no one was perfect.**_' _it was a generic and very common phrase that didn't really seem relevant to combat, until today. _

_From the events of today, Edward seemed perfect to every guard in the class. His moves were strong as well as fast and he moved in a way that he could somehow see their moves before they made them. Such an opponent was daunting and even in groups of four, they still didn't like their chances. However, that didn't mean he was perfect. He said it himself that no one was, and even if he may look it now, there __**had **__to be a crack in his image somewhere. _

_It took another two groups going before Cameron seemed to have noticed something. The instructor never attacked first, he'd always counter and then keep the group of guards in front of him where he could see them all at once and picked them off one at a time. The first attack he would initiate would be after countering that guard then disabling him as quick as possible before facing the other three. _

_It wasn't much but it was something. That led to another basic principle, '__**countering was much more devastating than initiating an attack first**_' _Klein could see that whenever the instructor countered his opponent was completely at his mercy for a moment and that was all it took to knock them out. During that time, the other three usually just watched in awe as their comrade was easily knocked out. _

_It was how he won every fight until now, he picked them off one at a time because they all came at him one at a time. _

_With that newfound knowledge, Cameron went to his group and gave them a quick explanation. By the time they were up, Edward immediately noticed something. All four of them were shoulder to shoulder with their blades ready. He waited for a moment wondering which one would attack first but as a few moments passed, none of them moved. Shrugging his shoulders, he moved to attack first and picked the far one on the left. _

_Before his blade could touch the guard, his target took a step back while the other three charged forward with strikes. The instructor moved to dodge the three but unexpectedly opened himself up to the attack of the one he went for first. This led him to having his sheath knocked out of his hand as he took a large step back to keep all four of them in his sight. With his left hand now empty, he grasped his katana with two hands and increased his focus on the four. _

_He waited again to see if they would strike first but none of them pressed their attack, which led Edward to once again make a move. The result ended the same as the first time, his target would back off while the other three would move in and when he tried to contend with them, his target would dash forward with their own attack then they'd reset themselves and wait for him. _

_He had to admit, it was a good strategy. Theoretically, if he was an intruder and they employed this strategy, more guards would come and he would be overwhelmed at some point. Conversely though, more intruders could use this as a chance to further their goal. He would have to bring that scenario later, for now, he ran through a couple of options before deciding on one. _

_With a bend of his knees, Edward charged much faster than he did with the other groups. The four guards were surprised but kept their nerve and tried to stick to their strategy. The instructor swung with more force toward his first target who had to block it instead of getting just out of reach like before. That made the other three move to attack and they expected him to try to dodge them giving them another opening. _

_The instructor did no such thing as he waited until the very last moment before grabbing his first target's sword arm and using it as a shield. The three swords hitting the one made the guard drop it instantly before he was used as a flail to knock the other three guards down. The four of them were instantly entangled with one another and before they could free themselves, Edward pinned them with his foot over the top guard and had his blade ready to strike down any who moved. _

"_That was a good idea, working with one another to create an opening."_

"_We still lost though."_

"_Yes that's true, while your plan was good, there was one problem with it. While you had one draw me in and attacked with the other three is all well and good. You left yourselves open to my counterattack, had you kept one of you back just in case I tried something like this then they might've been able to buy you some time to get back to your feet. You should always remember, never commit your last ace in the hole unless you've truly thought it through. There will always be an opportune moment to use your last ace in which your opponent will be completely vulnerable. It may take some patience and some effort on your part but a moment will present itself, you just have to be open to it."_

* * *

Even though he still lost that day, Klein was better and could hold his own. He thought he might've had it earlier with his shoulder check but Edward had completely recovered and was able to toss him away. The barrage of attacks he endured where relentless yet the guard stayed firm, his opponent wasn't perfect and there would be another opportunity, he just had to stay calm and be open to it. When he saw another left handed blow heading in his direction he tensed for a second ready for the hard blow until his mind clicked.

_This is going to hurt. _

He relaxed his hands and braced the swords against his chest where the palm strike would likely land and let his upper body go lax. When the attack hit him, he was knocked clean off his feet and hit the ground harshly. When his arms landed against the ground they let the swords out of his grip as he stayed there.

The instructor watched the guard hit the ground and expected him to try and get back to his feet but when the body didn't move, his eyes got bigger.

"Hey Cameron, you ok?"

There was no answer, Edward instantly looked down at his arm with worry. He thought he held back enough to not seriously hurt the guard. Quickly rushing over to the young guard, he knelt down and was about to try and shake him awake when a flurry of movement caught him off guard.

He felt a knee hit the side of his head as well as another leg push him to the ground before a sharp edge was against his throat. He looked up to see a triumphant smile on the guard's face.

"There will always be an opportune moment if you're open to it."

Edward sighed in relief that the guard was only faking being hurt. Honestly, he should've seen it coming. Something like that would've never worked on him in a life or death situation. It was just during their spar he was reluctant to use his left arm but eased it in every so often. He didn't expect Klein to adapt to it and use it to set him up. What really clenched it was the fear he hurt the young guard with Wrath's arm, that fear was something Klein could never have planned on.

However, he had to give credit where it was due. He lost to one of his students, which definitely made the guard the right choice to lead the class.

"Yes there will be, and it seems you've gotten better at finding it. Hopefully you'll be able to pass that along to your other peers when you lead the class for the next week."

That caused Klein to sputter and grow flustered for a moment which was what gave Edward his opportune moment. In a blink of an eye, the guard had his arms pinned behind his back with a foot on his arms as well as a blade at the back of his throat. The instructor laughed a bit before reaching down and offering the guard a hand.

"You were right, there is always one if you're open to it."

Klein groaned as he was helped to his feet and handed his training sword. Part of him looked somewhat put off that the man in front of him turned the tables so quickly but he could say it was his fault for losing focus.

"I still don't think that I'm the right one for the job."

Edward clapped the guy lightly on the shoulder. "You beat me just now, so far no one here has done that. You know the basics and remain focused under pressure. I believe in you and so should you. It'll only be for a week, you'll do fine."

The young guard looked a little skeptical but nodded with a small smile. After giving him a few details and suggestions for the next week, the instructor watched the guard leave. He looked up to see the night sky and guessed that it was getting late. He then remembered the watch he carried with him and checked it to see that it was only eight.

Earlier today the Captain said that he had some late errands to run so they wouldn't be able to go through their nightly spar tonight. Edward didn't mind, they would have a whole week to beat on one another. With the end of his day effectively being now, the young man wondered what he should do. He was already packed for the trip and Kristoff was already gone with Anna. That left Elsa who he really hadn't seen lately.

It just now began to sink in that he would be gone for a week away from her and couldn't help but feel anxious. He knew he wasn't a needy person but he honestly felt that he would miss her. With it being the evening, she hopefully already ate dinner and took a break from work. He looked at the castle doors and the gates. Logically, he should leave and mentally prepare for tomorrow and not risk being caught looking for the Queen at this hour. However he found his feet walking toward the castle doors in the direction of the Queen's study.

_I'm just going to wish her goodnight and walk back home. _

* * *

Grace was sitting in a waiting room in the Southern Isles palace, her three of her guards and one of the Blackdust soldiers were manning the door. When she arrived, she was instantly welcomed by the local soldiers and escorted to the palace. She met an ambassador who said he represented Weselton and that the Isles' ambassador had been killed. When she asked if Weselton had invaded, he responded they provided aid but unfortunately most of the ruling class had been killed.

Normally an ambassador would choose this time to leave given that the harbor was filled with Weselton ships as well as learning that most of the reigning monarchs were dead, but Grace hadn't completed her mission. She was asked to appraise the situation and return to Arendelle to report if Weselton had truly conquered the kingdom. She wasn't one to shirk her duties or lose her nerve, she would see this mission through.

So she waited, she was the picture of calm as she held herself in a dignified way and void of any nervous ticks or tells. It wasn't too much longer when a servant entered the room and asked her to accompany him to the throne room. As she stepped into the hallway, her guards followed her closely with the Blackdust soldier staying somewhat at a distance.

Grace had a couple glances at the new additions to her security detail while she traveled to the Southern Isles. They were vigilant and never let their guard down. They would always stay together and were always off to the side near locations where they could take cover at a moment's notice. More than once she noticed that the one soldier who accompanied her had taken note of every window, hallway, and door as they were escorted through the palace. It was almost as if he expected things to go bad which was a practical way of going about a mission.

She pushed the thought out of her mind as they arrived in front of the doors to the throne room. Whoever she met behind these doors would determine the whole course of her mission as well as the immediate future of multiple kingdoms. When the servant opened the door and Grace stepped through, she immediately curtsied and said the proper greetings. When her eyes met the one sitting on the throne however, she had to bite her tongue to stop her from spounting the first thing that came to mind.

Hans had that self satisfied smirk on his face that sickened the woman as she remembered the report she read about the man leaving the Princess to die and attempting to kill the Queen. He was wearing an expensive suit as well as an ornate crown that should've been made of thorns instead of jewels. The only thing that stood out was a scar that ran along the side of his face that went down his neck, it wasn't grotesque yet was very noticeable. Grace wanted to turn on her heel and leave, this man was still a threat to Arendelle and seeing him sit on a throne did not bode well but she remembered what the Duke asked of her before she left. He asked her to try and keep her _cold _remarks to herself and not stir up hostilities, as always she would do her best to appease him which was why she bit her tongue and clenched her fingers behind her back.

"Your Highness, I must confess I was not expecting to see you. I was told I would have an audience with the King of the Southern Isles, do you happen to know where his Majesty may be?"

"You're looking at him."

Grace's eyes narrowed at the admission and quickly thought of a few scenarios. Hans was by far the youngest in the line of thirteen brothers to ascend the throne and had attempted to usurp another kingdom's throne and was caught, his claim to his homeland's throne was a longshot at best. Unless the other brothers were no longer in the running with him. Prince Albert definitely wasn't after they found his dead body on his ship not too long ago. Perhaps he was the one that had the Prince killed so he could take the throne but that was only one out of twelve. If one went missing then the kingdom would likely ask their allies to assist in locating the lost royal. She highly doubted that all twelve were conveniently in one place as they were all killed, Hans was cunning but not smart enough to come up with a plan to ensure no one could oppose him.

"I wasn't aware you were crowned King, if you don't mind my asking, when did this happen?"

"It was pretty recently actually, you see while I was traveling outside the kingdom, I caught wind of a plot to invade my homeland. That led to me being attacked and almost being killed had we not escaped and fled to Weselton and asked for their assistance. They were skeptical but thankfully the King sent men to help combat the invasion. During the attack, I found out that all my brothers had been slaughtered leaving just me. If it wasn't for the troops Weselton sent us, the Southern Isles would've been completely taken over. With me being the only royal survivor, it made sense that I should be crowned King, especially when I fought for my homeland."

Grace could already tell he was hiding something but said nothing. She did see signs of battle as she approached the palace. Whether or not, he was behind the invasion and used it to usurp the throne, his forces had taken a hit. They were in no condition to launch a quick assault against Arendelle. However he could always ask Weselton to send more troops against us but that would take time. Time she could return to Arendelle and warn the Queen who could call for another meeting with the alliance and launch an investigation into the murder of the other Princes.

There was just one problem with that whole scenario.

When Hans was sent back after his attempt on Arendelle's throne, the Queen turned over the right to punish him back to his homeland where he was supposedly punished. However, the monarch of the Southern Isles never confirmed if they revoked his claim to the throne. That meant if he was truly the last of the thirteen sons then he would have the rightful claim to the throne. She needed to report this back to Arendelle, she could see it in his eyes. Even though he finally had a kingdom of his own, he still wanted more.

"I see, we came here to confirm if the Southern Isles had been invaded and were prepared to offer immediate aid but since that doesn't seem to be the case we can return home."

Grace bowed before turning around and making her way out the room when she watched the guards at the door take a step in their path.

"Just a moment. You say that you've come here to confirm if we had been invaded and were prepared to offer aid. However, you've let one of my brothers die while they were at your summit and my other brothers have all met the same fate. Quite curious that you all are the first to arrive here after the invasion is over."

The ambassador turned and narrowed her eyes as she met the new King's gaze unflinchingly. "Is there something you're implying Your Majesty?" Hans got to his feet and started taking steps toward the woman until he was towering over her. His eyes were narrowed with a slight frown on his face in an intimidating expression that was aimed fully at the woman in front of him.

"Just noting that my brother was killed right in front of me by a man wearing the same armor as those soldiers you brought. Who's to say they aren't here to finish the job?"

It was at that moment that Grace's patience died and she took a step closer so she could hiss the very next words into his ears. "If they were here to finish the job as you say then you obviously wouldn't see them coming. Unlike you, Arendelle has done nothing to warrant or justify conflict against this kingdom. If you were smart, I suggest you quit while you're ahead. You finally have your grubby kingdom, there's no one in charge of you anymore. You have no evidence that Arendelle is responsible for the death of your brothers, even if what you say is true and soldiers from Blackdust did kill them, you forget, their _mercenaries. _Many other kingdoms could've hired them, plus they aren't a formal ally of Arendelle. If you have a problem with them then I suggest you send your accusations toward King Alrick, who is quite known for being a kingslayer."

The woman turned around on her heel and motioned for her men to follow behind her. When she made it to the door, she shoved past the guards and left the throne room without a word. Hans watched her leave with a frown on his face as he waited for a few more moments before he heard slow footsteps behind him.

"Your silver tongue needs more practice."

The King turned to see Greed standing there with his hands behind his back and a pensive expression on his face. Hans gestured for the guards to leave the room so he could have privacy with the mysterious man.

"You cut me with a sword."

"And now you're a hero who received a scar in defense of your kingdom and was a target for the unknown killer. Several Weselton soldiers saw you lying there about to be killed, they'll keep you clear of suspicion. Besides, you looked to be having second thoughts. I told you that I like to cover my bases."

Hans briefly thought of Lars, the only brother who wasn't cruel to him and was angered that the man in front of him didn't seem to care one way or another. His anger quickly dissipated to a small pang of guilt. He was the one to choose this and throw in with Greed, the man may have manipulated events to point the King in the direction that led to this but it was his own fault he walked down this path.

"Now what? I doubt Elsa will be pleased that I now rule the Southern Isles, she'll likely cut off trade with my kingdom because of what happened."

"No, I don't think she will. You see, the reason I told you to mention the Blackdust soldiers was because King Alrick wishes to join the alliance they are apart of. If word gets out that they were responsible for all of the Princes' assassinations then they will be all but barred from the alliance. There's also the fact that since they sent an envoy of Arendellian soldiers as well as some men from Blackdust, it wouldn't take much to think that Queen Elsa sent those men to finish off the last line of the Southern Isles."

"Are you sure? This _is _Elsa we're talking about, she's essentially a pacifist. She easily has the most power in that alliance yet she always pushes for diplomacy and stays out of conflict. It seems quite a stretch that she would send assassins to kill off my brothers."

Greed closed his eyes and took a calming breath. It took him time to come up with this plan as well as put things in motion to ensure its completion. He wasn't the smartest or the most strategic person, he was only a soldier. If someone like him who spent most of his time either on the battlefield or caring for his family could see the scope of his plans, then the new King who should have had a better education should be able to also.

_I can't possibly understand why Father would enjoy teaching these humans._

"You're not thinking. Remember when she was attacked in her ice palace, when you pushed her to the edge? The two men who attacked her described her as a timid little girl who was afraid and ran like a little rabbit being chased by wolves. However, what they didn't account for was the basic instinct that lies in all humans. It's generally known as a fight or flight reflex, but it simply boils down to the basic human instinct of killing one another."

Hans looked ready to argue against that with the idea that an average person isn't a killer but Greed raised his hand to stop him. "I'm not saying that all humans kill one another on a whim. I'm saying that every human was born with the capability and instinct to kill one another. All it takes is extreme circumstances to bring this instinct to the forefront of one's mind. While there are those who flat out refuse to kill and would rather die than commit murder, they build up barriers in their mind to dull that instinct so they won't reflexivly activate it."

Hans watched Greed begin to slowly pace around the room not even bothering to look the King's way. From the way he spoke, the monarch thought the man might be a scholar of some kind. It added more and more mystery to the man in front of him.

"When those two men chased her into her castle with the sole intent of killing her, Elsa tried to reason with them but failed. When she realized that they were going to kill her, she chose to use her powers to stave them off. When they kept pushing and pushing against her still with the will to kill, her innate desire to save herself triggered her instinct to fight to kill. Whether she realized it or not, those two men were dead the moment they stepped into her domain. Had you not intervene and snap her out of her reflexive state, she would've killed the two of them. More importantly, her _guards _saw their Queen using magic and about to kill two men. Whether or not they agree with her actions or not, she had shown them that she had the capability to kill when threatened. It wouldn't take much for anyone to think she is threatened by you and thus has sent assassins to kill you to protect herself and her kingdom."

Hans began to see what the man meant and his mind raced with possibilities to take advantage of the situation. With him being King of the Southern Isles, he was now a part of the alliance with Arendelle, one in which Elsa would have a hard time dismissing him if she was staving off accusations of attempted regicide. There was also Weselton to consider, with the new change in sovereign, they would expect preference as well as benefits for helping save his kingdom. Which was easy to arrange and with their axe to grind against Arendelle, he could turn the two kingdoms against the Snow Queen and take Arendelle for himself.

"Before you even think about it, no. Weselton and the Southern Isles forces will not be enough to force Elsa to surrender. With Arendelle being in an alliance that prides itself on sending aid to its members and with her abilities to close off her kingdom when attacked, all she would have to do is hold out until reinforcements arrived. We also can't do what we did here to Arendelle because that would risk exposing us more than necessary. For now, you need to prove yourself to be a reliable member of their alliance. Even if Elsa doesn't trust you, she isn't above any of the other kingdoms in terms of power."

"Couldn't she push me out because of my attempt on her throne for the second time? If the alliance here's about that then they would likely side with her and push us out."

"Fortunately the only people to physically see you were the Princess, that ice harvester, Prince Ahimoth and his wife. Anyone else had been killed and while they could claim you were there, there's no proof that would suggest you've been there. And on the off chance they foolishly plan to pursue removing you from the alliance…"

Greed smiled for the first time revealing his sharp teeth and red eyes as he pulled out a small notebook. "...you can show the Snow Queen that if she planned on revealing your secrets, then you'll reveal hers."

The mysterious man handed the book to Hans who rifled through the pages skimming through them until his eyes landed on a particular page. As he read it, his eyes widened as he reread it a couple of times to make sure it really said what it said.

"I-is this true?"

"Every word, I can _personally _confirm its authenticity. Queen Elsa is a lot smarter than I gave her credit for but is ultimately still human and is prone to mistakes. This particular one, gives one a large amount of leverage over her if it is used correctly. Which is why I want you to only _threaten _her with this, you are to not use this against her. This is only a means to buy time until we have things in place."

Hans's eyes shot up to the man with a confused expression. With what was written in this notebook, he had her in the palm of his hand. Greed saw this and his eyes narrowed. "Like I said, this must be used _correctly, _if you play this card in the wrong way then things will become very messy. Which would very likely result in your death, you have no idea of what forces are at work around you. I would suggest you heed my warnings well, I can only do so much when my master arrives to plan your invasion."

"You mentioned your avarice being stifled and being on a leash, if you could think of all this then why not think of a way to free yourself?"

"As I said before, there are forces at work that you can't possibly fathom. My master is one of those forces, there's nothing I can do against him. He knows my every move and if I stray too far from his directives, he'll likely end me. It has taken careful and minute planning to arrange things in a way to get what I want while remaining on his good side, should this endeavor fall apart then the consequences will be most dire. However, you need not worry about that, when he gets here, he'll likely not bother with you too much and only give you a plan that is most likely to succeed. He doesn't want your kingdom or Arendelle, if anything, he'll probably only want Elsa alive, beyond that you can do whatever you wish."

Hans nodded and watched Greed begin to turn to dust in front of him. "Now then, that ambassador will return to Arendelle and inform them of the change in power. Elsa will probably request that you be removed from the alliance which will take time to arrange, during that time, you must make her aware of what you have over her. If she falls in line then she'll call off the request and that will buy you time, should she not, then I will send you further instructions. Remember, _carefully _consider how to force her cooperation with that information. Also, whatever happens, _do not let my master learn anything from that book._"

With that Greed vanished in thin air, leaving the King alone. Hans read through the book again and briefly entertained the notion of betraying Greed who was clearly afraid of his master. So far the man hadn't lied to the King yet and has already given him a throne. Hans should be grateful and he was but it bothered him when the man would say the word 'human'. It was like a King referring to a beggar, like they were that insignificant. Greed clearly set himself apart from being a human and now hinted that there was a higher power involved. The man may be on the King's side, but who's to say he wouldn't take everything away from the monarch at his master's behest?

_It'll all come down to what his master is like._

* * *

**Hey guys new chapter is dropped I hope ya'll like it. Trying to make things deeper and more political as well as philosophical. I'm going for the two chapters this weekend since the next chapter will likely be a LEMON, trying to see if I can improve from my first one. It will be a shorter chapter and most likely will be the last lemon in the fanfic. The one after that will definitely be a plot driven chapter. Anyway drop a review and pm me if you wish to contact me and I will respond.**


	35. Chapter 35

**Hey guys guess what NO LEMON DX, I couldn't do it had to progress the story more. Anyway hope you enjoy. shoutout to **Gregular **for the favorite and follow.**

* * *

Edward could honestly say without fatigue that Elsa was a wonderous woman.

Both physically and mentally none were like her, which made him laying down with her, the luckiest person in history. They had just finished satisfying one another in a way that had his head foggy and still spinning. She was bare against his chest still trailing her nail across his scars like the first time. He tried focusing on the feeling to stay awake but its effect on him had his eyes closing against his will. He was still not entirely used to this sense of peace that the blonde gave him but he found it so addicting and powerful that his mind was cleared of thoughts as he entered a deep sleep.

Elsa could tell when the man under her fell asleep because the gliding of his claws on her side ceased and his muscles went lax. While she enjoyed the hard planes of his body, she found it even more rewarding when she could make them soften which meant he was relaxed. Her insides were still tingling in the afterglow of their dance, it was a surprise that she was the one to outlast him.

As she waited for her body to wind down from its high, her mind drifted to the Southern Isles. It's been almost a week since she sent Grace to report on the situation that might be unfolding there. Geographically speaking, the kingdom looked to be a four to five day travel schedule from Arendelle if she compared it to Blackdust and there wasn't much pirate activity in those waters so there wasn't that much of a delay. The blonde told herself she would send more ships if her envoy hadn't returned within two weeks.

Elsa would not leave her people at the mercy of someone else, if her envoy was being held hostage then she would get them back. Her council was aware of this and agreed with her but that was it, no one else knew. Stonewell wasn't briefed due to his field exercise about to take place and would be made aware when he returned. Anna was already gone with Kristoff for their wedding and honeymoon with the trolls which would also be back in a week. Rapunzel, Eugene, and Cassandra had left and were on their way back to Corona. That left Edward who she also hadn't told since he was going to be with the Captain, and if she were being honest with herself…

...she didn't want to put Edward in a position where he might have to fight a large battle.

This was the second time she had an up close look at the various scars that criss crossed over his chest. They were numerous and came in different shapes and sizes. None of them looked two disconfiguring but the woman could tell that they were quite painful at the time. When looking at these scars, she wholeheartedly felt that he had fought enough and shouldn't be forced into another war. Here, he was happy and content.

Wrath had been very cooperative and left the young man's mind alone and this Father person still hadn't made a move against Arendelle despite her Elemental powers being revealed for so long. There were days she would lie in her bed after being woken up by a nightmare of men like Zavis storming her kingdom and she being powerless to stop them. She would watch every house be burned to the ground and her people slaughtered like cattle until she was the very last one. The worst nightmares were of Greed having his way with Anna and Kristoff while Zavis killed the castle staff and guards. Finally, she saw Edward not rushing to defend Arendelle but soulless and on their side looking down at her with hate in his eyes before he raised his sword and brought it down on her.

It was during those times she couldn't sleep and would take time to look out to the training yard to see a smiling Edward teach his class. From what she could tell, they were all getting quite good. Stonewell's class had been showing off some rather very impressive moves. While Edward's was far more refined and worked well as a unit. She would even ask Hector of his honest opinion of how they were progressing. Despite her initial dislike of him in the beginning for his less than honorable intentions and multiple flirtations, he was still an excellent guard.

He explained in detail to her what each guard lacked and improved on and gave them honest assessments. She thought he was going to explain how inferior they all were to him but he didn't, even though she could tell he was confident against them, he acquiesced that they were close to being a very effective fighting force. That alleviated her fears a bit as her thoughts then turned to her personal guard.

Early on, she made it obvious that she saw through all of his attempts to impress her and that she was aware of his multiple conquests. Due to that, he quickly gave up the notion of attempting to win her favor and stuck to his job. Since becoming her guard, his training with Stonewell was essentially over since he would be at her side all day and when he wasn't he had four of the same men every day take over for him while he dealt with other matters.

Curious as to what he did when he wasn't around her, she had Kai keep tabs on him and report back to her. She wasn't that surprised to learn that Hector had secret meetings with her council. It was easy to see that he was both a guard and observant that her council used to keep an eye on her. He had meetings with every one of them except Duke Eren. The man in question had met with her secretly to tell her that the rest of the council was using Hector to watch her. Even though she already knew this, it was nice to see that there was one among the castle that was open and honest with her.

She thought about dismissing him when it seemed that his loyalty seemed to be more aligned with her council and not her but shook that thought away. His removal would raise alarms with her council and Hector would be even more suspicious of Edward. She tried ignoring the looks he gave the young man whenever they happened to be in the vicinity. For the most part, Edward seemed to ignore the look and continue on like it was nonexistent but she didn't. She could see the pensive yet searching gaze the guard fixed on the young man.

She remembered him voicing his concerns about Edward after the ball and he was very close to the truth. She had thought with that look Alrick gave him, he'd keep his nose out of their affairs but to his credit, he was not easily swayed. She truly wondered what would happen if Hector ever found out about Wrath, what would be his reaction. She could see several, most of them had him turning the council against her and bringing bad tidings to Edward. She could not let that happen but unfortunately with the guard so close, she was in quite the precarious position.

Elsa giggled when she realized where she was. Here she was in Edward's arms and thinking about Hector, if the young man knew about that, he was sure to throw a fit. She dismissed those dark thoughts from her head for now and tried to enjoy where she was. Currently nestled with the man she felt for from the bottom of heart who brought so much warmth with just his presence. After being alone and cold for so long, it was nice to be ending the day with someone that was hers and no one else's.

Her eyes started to get heavy and she was about to nod off when the arm holding her gently shook her. She smiled against his chest before slowly lifting her head ready to answer him with a smile when she stopped and realized she was looking into two red eyes.

* * *

Ahimoth was looking over multiple files on his desk all pertaining to one soldier. The name on the files were of Ian Cavaliere, a Mystic Guard member who was known for his skill in assassination as well as the twin daggers he had for weapons. As far as the report went, the man was an excellent soldier, one of the higher ranked members who had plenty of experience under his belt. He was well educated, having spent time improving his knowledge before joining the military.

His cause of death was of course the night Rakat was killed. The report had said that Ian was cut in half from the waist down by the traitor's missing katana. Such a wound would've been beyond hope. It was reported that his body was buried the same time as the others were. When the Prince dug up the first three graves and confirmed that they were definitely dead, he searched for the last one and dug it up. What was inside, made his eyes narrow.

There was definitely a body inside the coffin, however it seems that whoever put the body inside hadn't read the report. The spine was intact. He had seen the blade that Rahim had cherished many times in battle, if Ian was wearing his armor which was described to be a chestplate with twin pauldrons and was reported to be cut in half, only Rahim's blade with enough force could cut through both the armor and the body. Any other katana would've been deflected if not chipped horrendously.

The autopsy was conclusive in the single thin cut that separated the body. It seemed someone made a sloppy mistake, or didn't think to consider how far the Prince was willing to go to find the truth.

This proved that Ian's body was missing and could very well be wandering around. After confirming this, Ahimoth poured through the entire life of the soldier and was dismayed when he found out the man had a wife and little girl that Wrath killed. It made a sad and ghastly tale, a soldier fighting for his family found his wife and daughter killed then was killed by the monster who did it, only to be revived again to serve the person controlling the monster.

It was only an hypothesis to be sure and he would need his father to return to learn more. The Prince sat back and sighed, he was getting married soon, he shouldn't be worried about dead men coming back to life. There was also the missing armor and katana of his former friend which dwelled in his mind. Ahimoth couldn't help but think that if he were Ian and remembered who Wrath was before, then taking the armor they wore would open plenty of opportunities for payback.

Their uniforms were known far and wide alongside the King's Spearhead. If anyone saw that armor then they would know it was from Blackdust. Their work to show that they weren't immoral mercenaries would be all for naught if that armor was seen committing atrocities again. He considered writing Arendelle and warning Queen Elsa who happened to be one of the only kingdoms to actually be considering becoming formal allies.

His father had sent a letter saying that he had a few of the Mystic Guard soldiers with him accompany an envoy to the Southern Isles to check on a possible invasion threat. While this wa happening, the King would be going to Corona to verify the information that Edward apparently shared which included the last known locations for Rakat's army. The Prince had checked the information along with the reports that Pride would send back after encountering the remnants.

So far, they all checked out.

While the location wasn't exact, it narrowed down the search area as well as gave them points of contact to look for. It seemed that most of Rakat's army had been found and with a few more attacks, they would be able to wipe out the last of the remnants. Ahimoth didn't want to admit it but it looked like Edward really was trying to make amends. Which made it almost funny there was a risk that someone might frame him by wearing Rahim's armor.

He really should send the reports to the King as soon as possible. Corona wasn't that far away from Arendelle in fact it would likely take a few days of travel which made it quite fast for a messenger bird to return home. One good thing about Rakat was he knew how to maintain an network of information. He always had multiple pigeons imported from each of the major kingdoms. Anytime his commanders left the kingdom, they were required to bring at least three homing pigeons with them to relay information back to the kingdom.

Alrick had taken five of them and already used two so he only had three more replies before needing to return home. When he said he'd be going to Corona, he also explained he would be seeking an audience with the monarchy there. If that was the case, then Ahimoth just needed to send a pigeon from Corona. After copying the reports onto plank documents, the Prince made a short trip to the messenger tower where they receive all incoming messages.

When he walked through the doors, he was instantly greeted with the stench of bird shit that was still quite powerful even with the open drafts caused by the openings in the tower. As usual the pigeons were making incessant noises that really irritated the Prince. He always hated coming to this tower after a campaign to pick up more birds to prepare for the next one. They always would have a problem with him around, never shutting up and even pecking him when he tried to get the message from them.

_Still don't feel bad for snapping one of their necks._

Once, after getting with Lilian, Ahimoth received a pigeon from Pride. The brunette was helping him with some reports and watched him wrestle the bird for the message for a time. It was quite funny to be honest, almost made her think Pride sent the most aggressive one he could find. She giggled up until the moment the Lieutenant lost his patience and snapped the bird's neck. It was quite disappointing that the man she was with was so quick to resort to violence. It led to them having a very large fight that same day about him being more than just a _bloodthirsty mercenary_ that most people feared him to be.

She refused to speak to him for days after the argument until one day he knocked on her door and said that he would not leave until she opened up. True to his word, he stayed right there at her door for an entire day. When she finally opened her door, she was slightly disgusted to see that he was wearing the exact same clothes as the day before and his waterskin was quite warm to the touch, meaning he used it as a means to relieve himself.

He immediately told her that he thought about what she said and that she was right and he could be better than what people thought of him. However he confessed he wasn't going to do it for them, he was going to do it for her. And he did, he worked hard, harder than she'd ever seen. While he may have been light hearted and humorous during his time as a soldier, he was still empathetic and callous about shedding blood.

Currently, he would try to settle disputes diplomatically but was quite ready and willing to end it violently if it escalated or the situation called for it. Which was what he was doing now, with what he learned about Ian, he couldn't find himself hating the guy even if he was Greed. The man was once a comrade that had his wife and daughter taken from him, grief made people do terrible things. If it was possible, Ahimoth wanted to speak to Ian again and convince him that he didn't have to listen to Father and that his wife and child wouldn't have wanted him to cause more pain.

The Prince found the right pigeon that flew to Corona and sent it on its way, hoping it would arrive before his father did. He was also hoping that the kingdom wouldn't be hostile toward the King. As far as he knew, Blackdust hadn't made an enemy out of Corona, there was that war in Rosenberg which was one of their allies but the force sent to assist were called off after being betrayed by Ashfeld. Rakat ordered that the kingdom be razed to the ground as well as all their riches were to be given to Rosenburg to avoid an unnecessary war.

Ahimoth didn't know how the King and Queen of Corona would feel about his father personally going there. He may not have done anything and Blackdust may not have attacked them directly, both were still connected to the loss of life from Rosenburg's forces. It would take some effort to show them that Blackdust wasn't like that anymore and if anyone could do it, the King could.

With that done, the Prince returned to his office and began to look over some reports when there were a few soft knocks sounded against his door. He looked up and smiled when he saw Lilian carrying a tray of food with her. He looked over to the grandfather clock in the room and noticed that he had already missed lunch after skipping breakfast that morning.

"We aren't even married and I'm already taking care of you."

"Hey, I give you massages a lot these days so I can say that I take care of you."

The brunette chuckled before walking over and laying the tray down in front of him. There was a slice of meat that he couldn't identify but smelled great, with some rice as well as small cubes of cheese. Grinning like a wolf, the Prince put down his writing utensils in favor of eating ones and dug in. When he took the first bite out of the meat, he was quite satisfied to find out it was squirrel. Personally he loved the taste of the small animal, some might hesitate to kill such a cute creature but like pigeons, squirrels hated him too. The only reason Lilian never got upset was that he always killed them just for food and not out of anger.

The brunette rarely ever made the dish, usually saving it for special occasions, or when he was feeling kind of down. Truth be told, he hadn't really been able to spend a lot of time with his fiancee, being King left little time for him to relax. The council kept dropping task after task on him in which he spent most of the day in this office. Sometimes he even sleeped in here. The times he did find himself asleep in here, he would find a blanket draped over his shoulders, courtesy of Lilian most likely.

With him being so busy, she had to plan the wedding mostly by herself which upsetted him. He wanted them to have a perfect wedding as it would most definitely be the happiest day of his life. He trusted her judgement completely but it would've been nice to sit down and playfully argue over the details. Instead he was looking over Ian's service record and the very few reports he wrote himself. He was about to thank her and bid her a good day when one particular report shocked him and made him choke on his food. The brunette was at his side in an instant and after a few moments the two of them were able to unclog the piece of food in his throat.

"Are you alright?"

"...Lilian what do you remember of the day Rahim took you from your home?"

The question shocked the woman as Ahimoth looked at her with an intense expression.

"Everything, why do you ask?"

"Do you remember seeing a soldier who used twin daggers and his armor was a set of pauldrons and a chestplate?"

The brunette thought back to when she was sleeping in her room and was woken up by the sound of voices in the main living room. It took her a moment to wake herself up and remove the sleep from her eyes but when they adjusted to the dark room, she was surprised to see a man rifling through her belongings. In hindsight, she should've remained quiet instead of shrieking in fear and causing the man to whip out one of his daggers and subdue her. In that brief moment, she remembered the man looking on her nightstand at a children's book. The gift was from her father which she enjoyed reading as a child.

"Yes, he was Rahim's partner, the one who decided to bring me along with him."

Ahimoth tried extremely hard to remember the man who brought Lilain in Elysion. He could remember bits and pieces but nothing definitive enough to distinguish the voice as Greed's. "I want you to think back when we were in Arendelle and that Greed guy spoke like he knew me. Did his voice seem familiar to you?"

The brunette recalled the structured yet condescending tone of the man that helped Hans escape. She tried remembering how the man talked when he had her captured and presented her to Alrick. They sounded somewhat the same but she couldn't be sure. The fact he knew about Elysion was a surprise given that only a few were alive who knew of all the details. While it was possible the survivors could've passed on the story, the sure disdain in the man's tone spoke volumes.

Like he blamed Ahimoth for the deaths that occured.

"I'd have to hear it again..."

The Prince nodded as he put the reports aside for now. There was nothing he could do until the King responded to his message. For now, he would take a small break and enjoy his fiancee's cooking then get back to whatever menial task the council would send his way. Hopefully, things would settle down and he could move on with his life, but at the back of his mind, he couldn't help but think a storm was coming, and they were heading right for it.

* * *

It was quite jarring to be staring into Wrath's eyes right after she and Edward had pleasured themselves. He chose _now _of all times to take control and was looking at her. Part of her considered scooting away and covering up but it was a moot point. She was under no illusion that the demon had no idea what they just did and hadn't seen her bare. She was also aware that his claws had begun to grow sharper against her skin but still left no mark.

"I trust you are having a good evening."

"I am, can I assume you are also?"

"Not as good as the one Edward's having but it's nice to know that his consciousness does sleep from time to time."

Elsa raised an eyebrow at what he could mean but noticed that Wrath hadn't moved in an inch. He was staying perfectly still as he spoke, like he was right over an edge and one move would send him over.

"He really relaxes when he's around you, so much so that just now was one of the few times he's let go _completely _which allowed me to take control while he's unaware. I'm sure if I move too fast or disturb his state of relaxation he would wake up and wrestle me for control. So I won't be moving much but I can use this time to speak with you without him knowing what about."

"What is it that you wish to speak to me about?"

"I just wanted to ask you something and look you in the eye when I did."

"What is it you wish to ask me?"

"Are you afraid of me?"

There was that question again. Spoken in the same sincere tone as before that could have easily been mistaken as Edward's. Before, she really didn't have an answer. To see him face to face with that large predatory smile on his face was definitely frightening, especially knowing what he did. However from what she learned, she couldn't quite blame Wrath for everything he did, he was ordered to and spent most of his time locked away. He never had anyone teach him right from wrong, all he did was hunt until one day he got the gift of thought and was able to see his actions in perspective of one of his victims.

From what Edward described to her of where the demon's soul looked like, she couldn't help but feel bad. The pitch black sky he described seemed lonely and Wrath's wish to see what the sky looked like outside of the walls reminded her of what she wished to see out her room. It made her think that she had some common ground with the being next to her. The demon proved that he could wrestle control from the young man and be free to enjoy the world around him yet always returned to that lonely place.

Like he was hiding from something.

At first she wondered what he could possibly be hiding from. He clearly was a very dangerous individual that moved faster than what she would think possible in an instant. The brief demonstration of his anger with Edward proved that he wasn't one to be trifled with yet he was still hiding. She then thought of Father who the demon professed to be loyal to, yet despite him being loyal, he hasn't done one thing to cripple them.

Even now, she was literally in his grasp, she was under no illusion she could extract herself and call upon her ice before he could sink his claws in her side. If she was really a threat to Father as Grand Pabbie and Edward believed, then killing her would be a smart decision. Yet, here he was choosing to talk to her. She had faith that Edward would never allow Wrath to hurt her but the demon could've at least tried if it was so loyal.

With those thoughts in her head, Elsa rolled over so she was resting on his chest so she could look him dead in the eyes as she spoke.

"No, I'm not afraid."

"Even knowing that I plan on killing you, you're not afraid of me."

"I don't think you want to. I think you're the one who's afraid. Afraid of being sent back to your cage again and forced to wait until you're let out again."

Wrath's eyes narrowed in burned in quiet rage as his hand twitched. She thinks _he _was afraid? He could snap her neck like a twig, even if Edward was awake and aware of his thoughts, he was _so _close. The odds of the young man's efforts being enough to stop him from jerking his left hand across her throat were slim. Wrath didn't feel fear, all he felt was anger and that was it, he wasn't a miserable human and all those emotions were from Edward not him.

"You don't know me, all you know is your lovesick puppy who is dumb enough to put himself in between you and Father after watching me kill all those people with Rahim's body."

"I thought you were willing to entertain the possibility that you two are one in the same, so if I do know Edward then I do know you."

He snorted, he was beginning to regret waiting for Edward to relax enough to have this conversation. The woman in front of him should've been very afraid of him, even if she had those ridiculous feelings of love, her survival instinct should've compelled her to be more cautious.

"It was something to think about instead of being bored all the time but now I know it is a waste of time. I'll devour Edward's soul then kill you, simple as that. There's no point in entertaining this farce for a moment longer, Father will come here and when he does I will be ready for him. I don't know why Talib was at the wedding earlier but it matters not, there's no hope for any of you."

"If there really is no hope, then why don't you just kill me now? I can't stop you and as you said Edward's too gone right now to come back at a moment's notice. This will be your best chance to do what you propose."

Wrath slowly raised his left arm and positioned it in a fashion that one quick thrust would separate her head from her shoulders. All the while Elsa continued to stare at him with those calm blue orbs, not daring him, just waiting to see him carry out his intentions. It was stupid for the prey to wait for its death and Wrath couldn't help but think that if he did this, he would prove that he wasn't Edward or Rahim.

His stared back into hers when he was sure that Edward's consciousness was at its most lax and jerked his arm. He expected the blood splatter across his face and to see her lifeless eyes staring back into his but for some reason, his arm stopped cold. His claws were barely touching her neck as she didn't even flinch at the sudden movement. The demon remained still as he felt Edward begin to awaken at the jerk until he drifted back to sleep unaware of what was happening.

The demon didn't know what happened, in that moment, it _really _was trying to kill her. Yet for some reason, its arm stopped on its own. He quickly examined his arm expecting an ice chain or something binding his arm but nothing was there. That was impossible, Edward was asleep and Rahim was long gone, the only mind in control right now was his, so why did he hesitate?

It was then that Elsa decided to lift an hand and gently rested it on his left arm which caused it to immediately relax. Wrath watched his claws retract on their own volition and allowed themselves to be pulled against her cheek. It was then at that moment that the demon felt something besides anger, he told himself he didn't feel fear not even a moment ago but he just got his first dose.

Somehow, this woman had more control over him than he realized. What made it worse was that he was dimly aware that his thoughts were catering to her whims. For a moment he thought that perhaps she had cast some kind of spell on him to control him but Elementals weren't witches. Maybe that troll gave her some object to control beings like him when he wasn't looking or something. Yet there was nothing in her hands. All she was doing was looking at him with those damn blue eyes.

He _really _wanted to kill her now, damn the consequences if Edward felt this mad tornado of rage. He wanted to rip her into tiny pieces and make him watch but try as he might, his anger wouldn't build. His murderous intent was subdued like a puppy being scolded by its owner.

"Are you alright?"

He knew he should've _hated _hearing her concern. What did she care, she only wanted Edward with her, she couldn't give a damn about him. She was a human, there had to be some ulterior motive to her doing this. He kept trying to tell himself this but the more and more he repeated it, the less he felt it was true.

Deep down, he knew that Elsa was concerned.

Edward could tell what the blonde was feeling most of the time by looking in her eyes, Wrath never understood that until now. He could see that she meant every word and that she felt sorry for him. It should've sickened him to be pitied by a human, one he knew was full of flaws and would likely not live long.

But to be honest…

...it felt like for once, just once, the pitch black sky in his soul had one tiny star in it.

He couldn't do this, he needed to get away from her. Wrath retreated back into his soul as fast he could, giving Edward complete and utter control. He couldn't look into her eyes no more, they were too mesmerizing for him to think straight. When he was finally in the solitude of his courtyard surrounded by weapons, he was finally able to build the rage he was so accustomed to.

However, he was now aware that the rage didn't come from him, it came from all the weapons that harbored anger and resentment toward him for killing them.

There was a small pit in the demon's stomach, it grew larger and larger the longer he stood there. He didn't know how much time had passed but the feeling had grown worse and worse. It took a moment of searching through his knowledge but he was finally able to recognize the feeling he was experiencing. It should've been impossible, that's what he told himself. Only Edward and Rahim should've felt this feeling. He shouldn't, he's been killing for as long as he could remember, even after getting Rahim's knowledge, this feeling shouldn't have awakened inside him.

Wrath the Furious, for the first time in his long life, felt guilty for everything he had done.

He didn't want anyone to know he felt this way. Even Edward couldn't know. The demon quickly went back to see Elsa still staring at him with concern in her eyes. How he should've hated those eyes but instead he just wanted to let out all of his feelings at the mere sight of them. Somehow he could tell that she knew exactly what he was feeling and it was killing him yet liberating in a sense.

"Please...don't tell Edward any of this."

His voice sounded weak to his own ears. What had happened to him? He was supposed to be the furious sin, the one who never backed down from anything but here he was ready to break down in front of the woman he was supposed to kill. From any other human he would have expected his request to be denied and told a monster like him didn't have the right to ask for anything.

From her, he was given a simple nod and smile which made him wrap his arms around her and let his head fall back.

When he returned to his soul he looked up in the sky to see that single star. It seemed distant and far away but it was more than enough. Wrath felt Edward's feelings and they resonated within him as if they were his own. His desire to kill her was still there yet it was reduced to a faint echo. He didn't know what to do, for once, he was stagnant. There was no one to ask on what he should do, Elsa had done more than enough, it was up to him to figure out where to go from here.

* * *

In Corona, in an underground cavern, a boy was working on his latest project. A metal that was a combination of steel and iron that combined their durability, thermal conductivity, and high melting point. The project was inspired by another alchemist who was also in Corona that said that he couldn't recreate the perfect metal. He described it as being hard enough to cut through most other metals yet keep its shine and not chip. It was such a vague request but the young alchemist was eager to see if he could recreate it.

The door to the cavern opened and in came the older alchemist, carrying a box full of different metals for other trials. "Varian, how did the test go? Did you manage to combine the two metals yet?"

"Yes I've already gotten a stable mixture and was just about to pressurize it and cool it to your specifications. As we know, iron and steel are some of the most common types of metals used in creating weapons. This will be our base and test for the other metals. As I'm sure you know Chromium is the hardest metal around yet is too brittle. Titanium on the other hand is more dense and could counteract the brittleness of Chromium. I plan on combining these two metals first and testing to see if they can shatter the alloy created from combining steel and iron."

The older alchemist placed the box on the ground and looked over all the designs and calculations that littered the lab. The two of them had been at this for days coming, up with theories as well as collecting samples. The idea was sound and the calculations matched up. They just needed a working prototype and the older man had just the design for it.

He spent the day creating the mold for the new weapon he wished to be the first that the metal would be shaped into. He got the idea based on the executioners in Europe during the Middle Ages. They were well known for their axes yet he had a feeling the person he was making this for would prefer a sword to an axe. The mold was of a long blade which was several feet long that had no place for a sharp edge. The executioner's blade wasn't meant to be used in combat given the fact it was generally used to kill someone with their neck upright. If the tests went well then the blade would be able to stand up to most impacts and not break and with it not being mainly used for cutting, chips on it wouldn't stop its use.

_Yes, Pride will be well equipped when the time has come. _

"Well then let the tests begin."

* * *

**Hey guys, sorry if ya'll were hoping for a lemon, had the intention to but wanted to move on with the story some more. I hope that little moment with Wrath wasn't a completely out of nowhere twist. Don't worry, it will be explained later if something bothered you about it. Please send me a pm or review if you have any concerns you would like me to address. **

**To that guest who wondered if Elsa would've gotten preggers after this lemon, the answer is no. **

**I'm likely going to put off another lemon chapter for a while. Really wanted to see if I could do better than the one in chapter 27 because it seemed that I put a big plot point in the middle of a lemon that while is not totally bad but takes away from it you know. Let me know what you all think, I'm going to try and drop another chapter on President's day which will likely be a shorter chapter but I'll try and keep the story progressing. **

**Kinda feels like this fanfic's pacing is really really slow. **


	36. Chapter 36

**I broke 20,000 views WOO!**

**Shoutout outs to ****Jeonsagongju** **19Jenny91** **Klaviun** **Pusspuss** **for the ****favorite/follow.**

**And massive shoutout to Jenna02 for the review that really was nice.**

* * *

They left early in the morning, Edward barely had time to get dressed and say goodbye to Elsa before Stonewell almost put a warrant out for his arrest. They were on the North Mountain, past where he had been with Kristoff during their ice harvests. He vaguely remembered the path they were on since he first stumbled into Arendelle. The wind blew without mercy and cut into both of the men's skin. Edward was given a thicker cold variation of the Arendelle guard uniform to wear for the duration of their outing. It was still dark green in color and had crocus designs and purple linings but there were also fur collars lining the neck and sleeves. The old man was also wearing his own uniform albeit a little worn and tattered from excessive use.

The Captain really hadn't said anything since they left the village hours ago, he just kept walking further and further away off the known path. Edward kept his gaze on the man's back the entire time and couldn't help but begin to wonder about a few things. They had left Arendelle six hours ago and during that time they only stopped for a break twice.

Both times, Stonewell hadn't lit a single cigar.

He would drop his pack and pull out one of the swords he had strapped to it and would begin sharpening it without a word. Before they left, the young man asked if he should bring a weapon along with him during the exercise, to know what to expect. The Captain only answered that the young man could bring whatever he wanted to as long as he could carry it. Edward brought his katana and had it strapped to his waist while he packed mostly food, some tools, and rope.

He hadn't seen what Stonewell packed exactly but the multiple handles sticking out of the pack gave him somewhat of a clue what was in that pack.

The two of them continued to walk as the wind blew in their faces. Even though Edward's body was quite resistant to the cold, he could admit it was kind of chilly outside. He couldn't even begin to imagine how the old man must be feeling yet the Captain remained silent and kept going strong. The young man tried to force some conversation but all he received was silence as they kept walking.

Realizing that Stonewell wouldn't likely say anything until they arrived at their destination, Edward decided to occupy himself with his thoughts. He was slightly ashamed that the first thing that came to mind was the night he spent with Elsa. He was beyond spent when they finished and was on cloud nine long before they were satisfied. His brain was overloaded with the senses that the blonde made him experience that even now he could still smell her natural body scent.

He could chalk that up to being able to access Wrath's more enhanced senses compared to his usual ones. Along with the arm he was getting used to, his senses were getting sharper and more acute. While he was walking, he could faintly make out the animals around them even knowing that they were far away.

If it weren't for them then he wouldn't have heard the soft click noise that just went off.

A hail of knives showered from behind him forcing him to roll forward to dodge. Before he could get into a ready stance, he heard the sound of a sword leaving its sheath and saw one of the Captain's blades heading towards his head. The weapon was already so close that drawing his would've been too slow and he couldn't dodge fast enough. Reflexively, his left arm shot up and grabbed the blade halting it from reaching its target.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Edward was about to yell the old man's head off but was stopped by the serious expression on the man's face. His face was stone cold, not murderous or angry, just very intense and calculating. It was like being watched by a hawk who was keen on seeing something specific happen. The older man quickly yanked on his weapon that would've cut anyone else's hand deeply but it made a screeching sound as it slid against the scales of the young man's hand. Stonewell then brought up the weapon to visually inspect it and focused his gaze on slight gouge in the blade.

"Remove your left glove."

Edward's heart skipped a beat at the request and couldn't help but hope against hope that he heard wrong. "W-what?"

"Remove your left glove."

The young man's eyes strayed to his left hand and considered asking what was the point of such a request. He realized it would be a waste of time, so slowly, he took the glove off and held his hand out. The Captain placed his weapon back into its sheath before leaning forward to inspect the appendage. He then took a hold of it with one hand and turned it over to examine it further.

While he was doing this Edward was quickly trying to come up with an explanation of why his arm looked like this. Stonewell was no fool, he may have been able to pull one over him with the bandit bodies when they first met but this was right in front of him. The young man had to come up with something, he had a feeling the curse story he told Mr. Jorgen wouldn't work here so he pressed his mind to think of something quickly.

"So this is Wrath's arm, I expected it to be more horrifying to be honest."

All of the young man's thoughts screeched to a halt.

_Wrath's arm, he knows?!_

It was at that moment Edward felt his fight or flight instincts stirring. If the old man truly knew who Wrath was and what he was capable of, he'd most surely attempt to eliminate the obvious threat to Arendelle. Even if he didn't, the Captain would be forced to report this to the council and it would heavily undermine Elsa's position as Queen. The young man couldn't allow that and for an _extremely _brief moment, he toyed with the idea of killing the old man right here and now. It would keep his secret safe plus with them so far away with the expectation of being gone a week, he could definitely hide the body where no one would find it.

He mentally shook his head, that wasn't the way he did things anymore. Rahim might've gone through with that course of action but Edward wouldn't. The old man was a pain to be sure but he was stalwart in his desire to protect Arendelle. Not only that, the Captain had time and time again kept him on the straight and narrow while giving wonderful and wise advice. He would hate to see him go.

Which brought him back to his current predicament. The tone in which Stonewell said his statement was conversational and almost whimsical. There wasn't a shred of fear or suspicion in his face, just general curiosity as he still examined the arm. It was almost as if he knew about the arm before today and was just now confirming it. How the old man found out plagued his mind. He thought back to all of his interactions with the Captain and wondered when he ever seemed concentrated on the arm.

For the most part, nothing stood out, except when the two of them fought. When they fought, Edward fought one handed with his weapon instead of using two as he often did. He kept his left arm well out of reach of the old man so that there wouldn't be any suspicion as to why his arm could deflect a sword. The times he saw the Captain's eyes wander to his left arm, he tried to shrug it off and act like everything was normal. When they returned to him, he thought he had succeeded in keeping the arm hidden, but he didn't.

There was also the fact he knew the demon's actual name, meaning that someone must've told him. The only people who knew of Wrath were Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Olaf, and Grand Pabbie. The idea that one of them told the Captain was highly unlikely given they all knew the significance of hiding the demon's presence.

_Wait they aren't the only ones who know._

Ahimoth, Lilian, and Alrick knew as well. The to be wed couple left before he gained this new arm so they wouldn't know about it. Alrick on the other hand had seen it the night that he told the young man that Talib was dead. Edward cursed himself, he got too emotional that night and wasn't thinking, there was no need to show the King his arm. Alrick and Stonewell had a history together so it wasn't too far outside the realm of possibility that his old Commander told the Captain.

"Cat got your tongue? You've been quiet for a while. Thoughts buzzing too quickly in your head?"

The still conversational tone that the old man took was quite surprising and had Edward gulping as he looked up into the man's curious gaze. He needed to speak, he wanted to know how things would proceed now that they both knew that Wrath was known.

"I'm just stunned that you know about Wrath. I've been trying to keep it a secret ever since I got here because I didn't want people to look at me like a monster. When we first met and you looked like you were suspicious of me, I fought to keep myself as calm as possible under your stare hoping that you would dismiss me."

"You're right in thinking I was suspicious of you when we first met. While your body gave nothing away, your eyes most certainly did. You kept trying to meet mine and show that you weren't hiding anything but you were trying way too hard and when you heard about the bandits' bodies your eyes widened considerably. I even went up there on my own to check the bodies and I found no teeth marks on them. Ever since, I've been watching you and having getting to know you, I could tell you were hiding something. Which is why I arranged for us to have this exercise so I could find out what it was. Honestly, I hoped you would've been the one to tell me instead of Alrick having to inform me."

_So Alrick did tell him._

It made Edward consider how many other people the King told. While he was confident that his old commander would keep the existence of Wrath a secret considering the fact that he offered to remove the young man's status of being a traitor if he helped hunt down the last of Rakat's army. Exposing his current state would also invite panic around the world that creatures like Wrath existed. It was very likely the King would only let the smallest number of people know of the demon.

"Is that right, what did he say exactly?"

"He warned me to keep an eye on you, that while you were a good soldier under his command, you were a very vengeful one. He briefly went over the lengths and measures that Rahim took to succeed in his missions, quite frankly, they were excessive."

For a brief second, he wanted to argue that Rahim only did what he did to get to Wrath but looking back, even he could agree that things went too far at times. As he said before, he never tortured anyone but the amount of bodies on his old katana were high. The weapon probably had the stench of blood engraved on it. Even after wiping the blood off time and time again and taking care of the weapon, he could still imagine the scent remaining.

"Then he informed me of Rahim's death and Wrath's actions during the civil war. When he told me that Wrath had killed innocent people on the King's order's, I had half a mind to kill you."

_There it is, the inevitable yet practical solution._

"He then told me that Wrath wasn't your primary consciousness that you fought to keep him from taking over. It shed a new light on all the conversations we had and helped me understand you better. You truly are haunted by what Wrath has done and I can only imagine how you must feel knowing that the previous you died in a desperate attempt to avenge your mother and now you're sustaining its life."

Edward was surprised to see that the Captain had an _almost _sorrowful expression on his face. His face was solemn and there was no pity in his eyes, just an accepting stare.

"I can see how my way of living wouldn't agree to you, in your case the ends to do not justify the means because what you were left with is worse than what you started with. As I listened to every detail about Rahim's life as well as this Father person who might've been behind that man Zavis as well as Greed, it helped me realize something."

Stonewell let go of the demonic hand before putting his own on Edward's shoulder.

"It made me realize that if anyone was to set things right, it would be you."

* * *

Elsa once again woke with a giddy feeling in her tummy as revealed in the goosebumps that Edward left on her skin the night before. She would once again have to hide her sheets until she could sneak them into the staff's wash pile. For now though she couldn't help but snuggle into her pillow more and taken in the smell of their scents mingling together.

There wasn't much she had planned today, her earliest meeting was set at noon. With Anna and Kristoff gone, she had no pressing reasons to get out of bed. The blonde even considered having breakfast brought up so she could laze around in her bed while reading that romance book about the warrior and life long best friend. As she was considering it, a polite knock sounded through her door.

"Queen Elsa, there is someone who would like to see you."

The woman recognized the voice to be Kai and racked her brain for a moment. With Princess Rapunzel gone and Captain Stonewell on his trip who wanted to see her. The council meeting was in a few hours so it couldn't have been them. Perhaps a villager wanted to speak with the Queen given that she had the gates remain open.

"Did they give a name or reason?"

"The name that was given was Garret Sobel, as for the reason of his visit; he said that you would be interested as to why the late King and Queen truly left for the voyage that unfortunately claimed their lives."

The blonde sat up very quickly and instantly made an ice dress as she walked to the door before opening it. She fixed Kai with a searching stare as she slowly and with great deliberation spoke her next few words.

"What do you mean by 'truly left for the voyage' I was under the impression that they were going to establish relations with another kingdom, is that not correct?"

The man's face took on a slightly nervous expression as he stared down the young woman and thought back to a distant conversation with the late King.

* * *

_It was at night that the chief assistant had been summoned by King Agnarr. The royal had been acting rather odd the last few weeks, spending less and less time with the Queen and more in his personal study than anywhere else. Even Captain Stonewell had taken notice and commented on it. The atmosphere in the castle was melancholy, even with Anna bouncing around the halls trying to keep her spirits up, it was still not enough._

_Kai was one of the only people who actually knew what was wrong. It had to do with Elsa's abilities becoming stronger and stronger. When the incident happened that forced the two sisters' separation the King and Queen had informed him and Gerda what had occurred then swore them to secrecy. The two of them were to coordinate with the remaining staff and ensure that none of them found out why Elsa was always in her room. _

_Agnarr was at a loss on what to do. His daughter was quickly losing the control she had at first and was becoming uncontrollable. There had been many times that he confessed that he didn't know what to do to the assistant. The Queen kept visiting Elsa while the King picked up the workload and looked over texts in his study. He told Kai that he might have a method of helping Elsa controlling her powers by covering her hands with gloves but that didn't work when she got worked up which was most of the time._

_It was a week ago when he furiously slammed his hands on his desk and threw everything off of it to the ground. The King had run out of ideas and it was easy to tell he was in a dark place. It was after that Agnarr left the castle for most of the day then returning at night. He was accompanied by Stonewell alone and would always have a blank expression on his face when he returned. There had been a few times that the two would be arguing quite animatedly at the castle steps before one of them would storm off. Kai remembering his boundaries, did not question it. Only continuing to fulfill Queen Iduna's requests and see to Anna and the rest of the staff._

_Which made it surprising to learn he was being summoned so late at night by the King. He made his way to his monarch's study and knocked before hearing an answer to come in. opening the door, Agnarr had a disheveled appearance as he was hunched over a piece of parchment._

"_Kai, you are one of my oldest friends and have always been helpful and a valued source of information and support. Which is why I must ask you something, something I've been too afraid to voice to anyone. I want your honest opinion of this."_

_The assistant gave the royal his undivided attention as he prepared himself for whatever weighed so heavily on the King's mind. _

"_Elsa's powers are getting stronger, so much stronger than I originally thought. Even when she's asleep, her room ices over and she turns anything she touches to ice. The gloves have only been minimally effective with keeping her from freezing whatever she touches but the air around her is still freezing. She was told that fear would be her enemy but I thought it would be from the outside, that people calling her a witch would hurt her. But it's her, her fear is making things impossible and I don't know what to do."_

_Kai looked ready to speak and reassure the man but was stopped by a hand and saw the same hand turn the parchment so that he could read it. The first thing that assistant noticed was that the parchment was littered in scribbles of writing and sketches of something._

"_The reason why I've been leaving the castle is because there is someone else out there who knows about powers like Elsa's. They gave me the suggestion of using gloves to help control it but seeing as they didn't work, he suggested that I take further measures. Even Stonewell assessed that if Elsa's powers continue to increase while her control decreases then things could be disastrous. Which is why I took these measures."_

_The assistant took a closer look at the sketches and with a lead weight in his stomach, he finally figured out what was on the parchment. _

_They were designs and specifications of a set of shackles as well as notes to contain something called an Elemental. _

_Kai couldn't help his jaw going slack as he looked up to his King who stared at him with a tired expression. _

"_You mean to imprison Elsa?"_

_Hearing it said aloud made Agnarr lose strength in his legs and fall back in his chair while putting his face in his hands. The assistant could only stare in shock as he watched one of the strongest men he had ever known begin to silently weep. _

"_I don't know what to do, she can't continue this way. If she does then she'll be a danger to Arendelle. I'm her father yet I'm also the King. My duty is to my people yet my heart is to her. What should I do, Kai please tell me, what do I do?"_

_The assistant watched the man weep for a few more moments before clearing his throat. "Your Majesty, I truly do not have an answer for you. You are correct that as King, your duty is to the people yet as a father you have a duty to Elsa as well. You know the risks that are involved with your daughter and you have to ask yourself, do you truly think that Elsa will become a threat to Arendelle?" _

_Kai knelt in front of the King so that he could speak and they would be eye level._

"_I remember the day she was born you were the happiest I've ever seen you. You said that you would protect her from everything, however, please forgive me but that is unrealistic. You and I know full well that one cannot be protected from everything forever, one day, Elsa will be on her own. What she does in that time will be completely up to her. Which is why you need to decide what you are going to do now. If you truly believe that Elsa will be a threat to Arendelle then do what needs to be done as King, however if you don't then do what needs to be done as her father."_

_Agnarr stared at the assistant for a long moment before embracing the man in a tight hug. Kai returned the gesture and held the King for a moment as he listened to the man's words._

"_I was so wrong, I let my fear push me to make a terrible mistake. I believe in Elsa, I believe in my little girl." The man kept repeating it over and over to his friend who held him until he was finally able to stop weeping._

"_Thank you Kai, it means a lot to me knowing that you are here."_

"_Think nothing of it Your Majesty, there's nowhere else I'd rather be."_

_With a smile, the King got to his feet and looked at the parchment on his desk and began to tear it into pieces. He also called for the guards to go into the village and bring him someone named Garret Sobel. When they asked if he should be forcibly brought, the King responded that the man would be more than accommodating. _

_Kai wondered why this man was so important to be called late at night but all the King said was that the man was a source of information. _

* * *

It has been many years and Mr. Sobel has not returned to the castle for some time. The assistant honestly didn't recognize the name at first until the man said that he knew the reason why the late King and Queen left.

"Your Majesty, your parents had indeed informed the staff that they were going to establish relations with a nearby kingdom. However before they left, the King gave special instructions to follow should he not return. The first being that the gates were to remain closed until you came of age and that no foreign elements were to enter the village. It was almost as if he knew that the voyage could be his last and wished that we be ready."

"I can see how important it is to set contingencies in play in case of unfortunate happenings but what of this man, do you know who he is?"

"I do not, only that your father asked that he be brought to the castle. Perhaps Stonewell knows more of this man, the Captain did accompany the late King most places so the two of them might have met."

Elsa frowned as she remembered that Stonewell and Edward left earlier today. With no way of knowing which direction they went, she had no way of calling them back. As much as she hated to admit it, she would have to go into this meeting blind and with no preparation. Part of her considered that the man might be lying and that he wanted something but she couldn't be sure. Agreeing to meet the man, the blonde followed Kai to the throne room where he waited for her to take a breath before letting the man in.

The first thing she noticed was that his glasses caught the light of the room and shielded his eyes from hers. He was about her height with his shoulders hunched forward and he wore a simple blue collared shirt with suspenders coming up from his brown trousers and worn boots. His hair was somewhat shaggy as it hung around his face and stopped at his chin. The man made a correct bow as he cleared his throat to address the woman.

"I wish to thank you for seeing me Your Majesty, the stories concerning your benevolence does not do you justice."

"I thank you for the compliment, it is my wish that the people be heard and that they be unafraid to speak with me."

Garret lifted his head up with an easy smile as he listened to her words. "As I'm sure that you wish the best for your people, we both know that you wish to hear something from me that concerns your parents."

_Getting right down to business is he…_

Elsa kept her regal expression unreadable as she readied her next response. "I confess that you are correct and that I am very interested in why you believe the late King and Queen had ulterior motives they did not feel the need to explain to any of their subjects."

The veiled threat had been laid at the man's feet and the blonde watched his body carefully for any tells that could give away what he was thinking. Judging of the body language he'd given so far, the man was tired. Not sleepy but his body's stature looked worn and weary. His slouched shoulders and slow movements as well as the deep breaths and sighs he took, suggested that it took a lot to get him here.

"Well to answer that question, I think it would be better if I introduced myself. My name is Garret Sobel, I am the man who gave your father the specifications and designs meant to suppress your abilities and contain you should your powers proved too much to handle."

Elsa was barely aware that the armrests she was holding froze under her white knuckled hands. It was _him, _he was the one who thought up that room that was meant to imprison her. At first, her mind couldn't distinguish what it should feel. Shock was the first identifiable emotion that raced through her mind. Then there was a flash of anger.

This man had put ideas in her father's head to imprison her as a _child. _If her father hadn't decided to believe in her and stand by her, she could be rotting down there right now.

"So you were the one who created those shackles?"

"I told him that an Elemental needs to move their limbs in order to access more complex abilities, and suggested that completely encasing them while keeping them immobile would work."

The blank way he just answered the question, made the room get colder. Elsa was now aware that her magic was beginning to seep out from her but kept a good grip on them. She was fine with a little slipping out, part of her wanted to show that even while she was immobile that she still had power. It was a dark thought but the tired expression on the man's face did not change at all, like he was used to seeing this.

"I see, I suppose you had no idea that the designs you provided the King would be used against me, his _daughter."_

"I knew exactly who they were for and calculated how old you would be when your abilities would be at their peak and based the shackles off the estimation of how much you would grow until that point in time."

_That _made the wind begin to blow indoors that Kai and the guards in the room began to look uncomfortable. All the while Garret still had the same expression on his face. She began to feel annoyed that his glasses still hide his eyes from her so she couldn't tell if this display really didn't phase him.

"I suggest you be more deliberate with your words Mr. Sobel, as you can see my control over my abilities aren't perfect when my emotional state is peaked."

"I apologize your Majesty, I just thought it would be more expedient if we had a frank conversation. It was not my intention of upsetting you, I just wanted to be aware of the gravity of who I am in relation to your father. The late King came to me when he heard that I had an extensive knowledge over very old topics. He asked me if there were people who had otherworldly abilities over the elements, which I answered they were called Elementals. He then began to listen to all that I had to say about them and one day told me he knew of a one that was having trouble controlling her abilities. I gave him the initial findings of my research and precautions he could take, one day he revealed that it was his daughter and that night I made my calculations."

Garret stopped to take a long sigh as if he had something dragging him down as he spoke. "It killed your father to ask that of me. I agreed because I know the feeling of losing your child to a force that you can't stop, especially when it was coming from them."

His facial expression then took on a look that was somewhat familiar to her yet she couldn't quite place it. He stopped speaking and just stared off into space for a moment as his last sentence bounced around in her head. It was somewhat odd to imagine the blunt and stoic man in front of her could possibly understand what was going through her father's mind.

"You have children of your own?"

"Once… I had two boys that I watched become monsters and I couldn't do anything to stop it. It was because of me that they were forever changed. One of them I got to raise for a time and I hoped I instilled in him the value of family. The other…I really never got to meet and by the time I did, he was already something I know my wife wouldn't have wanted for her children. So I do understand how your father felt, which is why when he told me that the shackles wouldn't be necessary and if they were any other alternatives, I told him of one. A _very long shot _in the dark that could help, there had been legends that there was a way to remove an Elementals powers. When he denied it saying that your powers were a part of you and he accepted all of you, it was then I told him that if it became public knowledge that you were an Elemental, you would be targeted."

Throughout his explanation and how he spoke about the fate of his two boys, a disturbing thought began to form in Elsa's mind. The facial expression that was on his face finally came to her, it was the look Edward had whenever he spoke of his past. The story about the two boys even reminded her of the the stories that he would tell her. If who she was talking to right now was who she thought he was then things might get out of hand.

"Targeted you say? Who would target an Elemental."

She already knew the answer as the man said it.

"Father would."

Elsa instantly stood off her throne and took a step that sent a wave of ice that completely encased Garret from neck to foot in ice. Kai was startled as were the guards who all pulled their weapons and aimed them at the man, wondering what had caused their usually peaceful ruler to turn hostile. All the while, the man trapped didn't so much as flinch as he looked down in his prison before looking back up with a somewhat bored expression.

"So I see that Wrath has spoken to you. That expediates the conversation somewhat."

The blonde took slow steps toward him with a hand raised. To this day she still had no idea how Zavis managed to escape his prison when her back was turned but today she would keep an eye on the man in front of her.

"You said your name was Garret Sobel, is that the truth or is there another name you go by?"

When she got close enough to him, the glint in his glasses was cleared and his red eyes were staring back into her blue ones. "I have been going by Garret Sobel since arriving in Arendelle but if you must know my previous name, Talib of the Tainted Wisdom, at your service." He dipped his head as if he was bowing while he remained captured.

"Well Talib, I'm curious what made you decide to come here. At my sister's wedding, Edward made a speech where everyone could see him, I doubt you didn't…"

"Edward? You mean Wrath?"

Elsa for a brief moment hesitated on how to respond to the question. While it was true that Edward was Wrath, he was more than that. If everything he said about this man was true then Talib would likely use him as a tool again and she wouldn't let that happen.

"I mean Edward and he will not be your tool anymore. If that is the reason you came here today then you will be most disappointed."

Talib snickered as she finished speaking. He started to shake his head as he looked at her with a disbelieving expression. "You think I came here to use him? I came here to _warn you _that _he _would be the one to target you."

"Edward would never…"

"Let me stop you right there. Wrath has no say in the matter, he was made to be commanded by Father, no matter what he might think, the moment Father gives him an order then that's it. The only reason that Father hasn't come here is because he needed time and that time is nearly almost out. When it does, he'll come here and claim both his monster and your head."

The blonde narrowed her eyes as she listened to the man speak. She was under the impression that the man in front of her was Father, seeing as he created Wrath in the first place and made Rahim into the demon when he died. Talib talked as if Father was another person that scared him.

"What do you mean 'when he comes' I thought you were Father?"

Talib threw his back and blew his breath through his teeth. "If I were him Your Majesty, we wouldn't be having this conversation. If I was the Talib that Wrath spoke of then I wouldn't have waited until I made sure that he left Arendelle before coming to see you. At the wedding when I saw him, my life here was threatened and I came to you to secure my place here."

Elsa knew she shouldn't trust him but there were some things not adding up. Both Edward and Wrath agreed that when Father arrived in Arendelle, it was likely that they would be turned unless Edward had more control over the demon. Yet Talib had been here for sometime if he lived here as Garret Sobel. If he was truly Father then, he would've sought out Wrath yet it wasn't until Edward left Arendelle for the field exercise did he show himself to her.

There was also the look in his eyes as he spoke. She couldn't see with his glasses reflecting the light earlier but she could see all of his emotions turning in on themselves when she looked into his red eyes. There was genuine fear in those eyes as well as desperation, this man was hiding from something as well.

"And what would you have to offer to 'secure your place' here in my kingdom assuming that I even believe you are who you say you are?"

"I will tell you everything about Father as well as how to remove Wrath from his body."

* * *

"What do you mean set things right? There's no fixing what already happened, Rahim's already dead, I'm Wrath now and Father is likely on his way here now and I still can't really use my abilities anymore."

Stonewell wasn't dismayed as he turned to his pack and dug through it before picking up some documents. He then turned around and gave them to the young man and watched him read through it.

"I was made aware of this, which is why we are out here. Before we get back to Arendelle, I'm going to teach you how to control your abilities. Out here there will be no one around so you can let loose with everything without fear of hurting anyone else. You'll find the will to resist anything and will practice until you can fight just as well as Zavis did."

Edward at first was skeptical on how the old man planned to do that but as he read the documents, he couldn't help his jaw from opening.

Inside the documents were research notes as to how a Sin was bonded to a body and a complete breakdown of behaviors as well as the method Talib used to bind the soul to another.

* * *

**Sorry for the late update guys. I'm sorry to say that I am not satisfied with this chapter but it moves the plot along. It seems that Elsa has finally met Talib and it's unclear if he was really Father or not. Guess you'll have to stay tuned and find out if he really is Father or not, and how Stonewell plans to train Edward. Please pm me if you wish to ask anything or just review I will get back to you guys. Hope y'all have a nice one.**


	37. Chapter 37

**Shoutout to ****Swid16kawail** **IllyriaFred** **Fernan G** **Omega97** **TheVoidHunter250** **for the favorites/follows **

**Also really big shout out to the guest who left me that latest review, I'm not going to lie I was kinda getting down on not having that many reviews I mean 53 is a lot and all but this one fanfic I love call "The Frozen and Pierced Heart" another frozen fanfic that had 449 reviews at its year mark made me a little self conscious but your review really meant a lot. Really appreciated it and to the various readers who've actually PM me about it showing interest. Thanks guys, its cause of yall I continue to make an effort to push out chapters that are good and make you want more. Still working on an endgame to be honest but I've got a general idea on how to get there and am looking forward to my favorite section of the fanfic. Anyway enjoy the new chapter and please drop reviews.**

* * *

Hector was walking toward one of the palace's meeting rooms where he would be reporting to one of the council members. After he had been named the Queen's personal guard, the council immediately scurried him away so that they could inform him of their intentions. While they truly wished for the Queen's wellbeing to always be secured, they weren't entirely convinced she was what was best for Arendelle.

Despite her many achievements at such a young age, she was still hard for foreigners to approach. After the debacle that was her coronation, many of their allies had been secretly consorting with the council for an explanation of her abilities. To be honest, none of them had any idea that their Queen had the power over ice and snow.

It threw into question what she was capable of if she could indeed use magic. While she apologized profusely and even elevated the council's position to rival her own, she still had the power to plunge the kingdom in another winter.

It definitely made Arendelle a less appealing target for invasion if the monarch could create a winter during the summer. Some allies sought solace in the idea that if they were attacked then the omnipotent Snow Queen would come to their rescue and freeze their enemies where they stood. Conversely, others worried that she might expand beyond her domain and conquer kingdoms then make them submit to her cold rule.

Which was why her kidnapping was a very serious matter.

The fact someone, a bandit no less, could abduct their oh-so-powerful Queen weakened their position that she could defend Arendelle from any threat. If it wasn't for that stranger rescuing her then who knows what would happen if their enemies learned that the Snow Queen was defeated and used the chance to invade. Even if their allies came to their aid, it would be a chain reaction of more kingdoms joining in the fray.

The council then decided that measures needed to be taken. First, to protect the Queen and keep her powers ready to defend Arendelle was the first priority. Second, to keep an eye on her and make her more compliant to the council's wishes. The first could've been accomplished by a well trained guard that they could manipulate, the second would be someone of noble blood marrying her and siding with the council on whatever they decided.

As they poured over all the available guards who could fill the first position as well as a noble or royal to fit in the second, they were overcome with joy when they found a man who could do both.

They confessed that his service record was very impressive, being trained by the Bowman Expeditionary forces at a young age while being formally educated made him stand out. There was also the fact that the Bowman name was very well known throughout multiple kingdoms and had strong ties to Arendelle for many years.

The elder Bowman was a businessman and just oversaw relations with his force as well as being close friends to the late king. The council knew that he would instantly side with the Queen in honor of his friend and would likely turn down their plans. His son, on the other hand, had more flexible ties. The young man was quite ambitious and always strove to get ahead in life. They sent messengers to offer advice from time to time and ensured that he advanced in the guard to build rapport with him.

Hector knew he was being targeted for something when he joined the guard and kept getting those messages. They asked that he continue to improve and that he had a higher calling waiting for him. At first he didn't believe, he only advanced to get his inheritance then one day lead the Bowman Expeditionary forces. He loved his home, even if his dream would lead him away from it, he would still be protecting it.

That was the promise he made to his friends as he watched them freeze to death.

During the coronation, he and his friends were out the village on a trip and were returning when they got caught in a snowstorm. They couldn't see anything and were forced to take shelter. He remembered their food running low as they returned and one of his friends trying to hunt for food. The hunt did not go well and forced his friend to return to their shelter bleeding and dying. Hector tried to keep the others alive, he gave them as much as he could while letting himself have the minimum, Stonewell's winter training truly came in handy for him but for his friends who had no resistance to the cold, they had no chance.

They were too far gone when he returned with food, he made them as comfortable as possible as they left the mortal plane.

When he learned that the Queen was the one who caused it and that she would be ruling Arendelle, he couldn't bring himself to stay in her service. He was about to tender his resignation but a messenger from Earl Edward asked that he come to the council member's home to speak with him. When the young man arrived and sat down with the Earl, he was informed that they had been keeping an eye on him.

Hector asked why and the Earl responded that Arendelle needed men of his caliber to protect the kingdom. The young man explained his intentions of joining the Expeditionary force because he couldn't bring himself to serve the Queen for the part she played in the death of his friends. The council member said he understood but provided another option.

The Earl expressed that he had no intentions of killing the Queen but could see her holding her position to be a danger in the future. So he proposed that with her sharing her power with the council and once again halving her power with her spouse, they could control her to ensure she could not rule over them as she pleased. Hector asked how he factored into his plan and was surprised as well as slightly revolted that they wanted him to seduce the Queen into making him her King.

He instantly wanted to refuse, even if she was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen, all he could see when he looked at her magic was his friends freezing. The Earl explained how such a task may be hard to swallow and accept but it would ultimately be for the good of Arendelle. It also played into the young man's future dream of protecting the kingdom while leading the Bowman Expeditionary forces.

He didn't have to like her or fall in love with her, all it would take for them to get leverage over her was him sleeping with her once. Hector was well known for always having a girl on his arm, and for a woman who's been locked away for so long, they thought she would make an easy target. The young man wanted to refuse yet could see the benefits if things panned out in a favorable way.

The council would be truly leading Arendelle, the Snow Queen would be adequately controlled, and he would be in a position to truly defend his kingdom.

So he accepted the proposition and served faithfully.

The council needed time to convince the Queen to accept that she needed a bodyguard and with the young man's continued achievements, he was to be the first they recommended. After her kidnapping, the Queen had begun to act quite differently. As the council quitely investigated they eventually found out about the new addition to the guard.

A complete and total stranger would be overseeing training for the guards. When the council found out it was the same man who rescued the Queen, they tried investigating into him further to learn more about him and how he knew the Queen but came up with nothing. It was at that point that Hector decided to investigate on his own and by using his connections. He came up with essentially nothing on the man, no one knew where he had come from. It wasn't until King Alrick spoke to the Queen during the Gathering did the young man get some insight.

The King all but confirmed that he knew Edward for a long time and knew that he was banished with execution orders on his head should he return. That immediately sent up a red flag to Hector and he had kept a closer on him ever since. Initially, the noble always kept an eye on Edward since Stonewell introduced him as the rookie guard's instructor. There was something odd about him and he had some kind of strange relationship with the Queen that was obvious if someone looked hard enough.

That one day when his father visited while he was training, he knew that Edward and Anna could hear them talking. He let that comment slip out to see how the instructor would react. When the man got off his bench and looked ready to murder the noble, he got a clearer picture of what was between them. He still continued his mission to try and seduce the Queen but it was quite obvious that she had known his intentions and saw through them.

He honestly didn't care if he had no chance of ever bedding the woman. He was more concerned with Edward who seemed to be very close to the Queen. The council asked if he had learned anymore about the instructor but he always said no, there was very little they could find on him unless they went to Blackdust.

So Hector stayed close to the Queen and continued to ensure her safety, as he spent time with her, his hidden disdain slowly began to thaw and he could see that she was trying her best. While he still considered her a threat, it wasn't too hard to act cordial with her whenever they spoke.

When Prince Albert was assassinated, he wasn't too surprised to see Edward approach him and ask for help ensuring the Queen's safety. He agreed and assigned guards to watch her whenever he wasn't present. It seemed that the instructor really cared for the Queen's safety, perhaps in a way that was almost romantic. It was what he thought in the early days but was all but confirmed when Edward confronted him the night of the ball and the next morning he saw the Queen almost float around the castle.

He's been with enough women to know when one had a magical time with a man in bed. The blonde was obvious, he was surprised no one else even noticed.

The council would've had a field day with that information but Hector kept his mouth shut. It wasn't because he actually cared about Edward or even the amount of leverage that could be used over the blonde who was blatantly protecting him.

It was because Grace asked him not to say anything.

Not many people knew this but him and Grace had been friends when he was a small boy. Of all the people he had known, she was the one person that knew everything about him. She knew how many women he slept with, his dreams, and even his secret mission from the council. He was sure that she told Eren who likely told the Queen but he couldn't bring himself to care.

She was his closest friend when they were kids but as they grew up, they went their separate ways. Whenever he'd catch her eye, she'd give him that cold stare she gave everyone else and he didn't mind it. Hell, he was probably the reason she had the stare in the first place.

When he found out that she was going to the Southern Isles to appraise the situation on her Majesty's behest, he instantly went to see her. She of course wasn't worried at all and said that she would complete the task she was assigned with efficiency. That was her usual response to anyone who would ask but he wasn't taking that from her.

It took some prodding but she finally lost her patience and rounded on him about his mission from the council. Turns out she was holding in how disappointed she was that he even entertained the idea of what the council wished him to do. He tried telling her that it was a moot point and that she could be heading into a war for all they knew. Grace could tell that Hector was beginning to hold it against the Queen that she be sent there and told him that it was her choice if she wanted to go or not.

Grace wanted to protect Arendelle and this was a necessary step in doing so. The two of them argued back and forth for what seemed like hours until the woman got her way and made him promise that he would look out for the Queen. He responded that it was his job to do so but she made him promise to _really _look out for the blonde. She was gone soon after leaving Hector to juggle his loyalties.

He was ultimately loyal to Arendelle which both the sides he was presented with were also. The council had been watching over the kingdom for years and had done much good in their time. However the Queen had done so much more in a very short time but still put the kingdom in an awkward position. His father would've likely be just as disappointed if he learned the true reason for his appointment as the Queen's personal guard.

The young man was inclined to side with the council because they were surely wiser and could keep the kingdom stable but with Grace thrown into the mix, Hector unwillingly found himself withholding information from the council for the Queen's benefit. He convinced himself that this would only continue until the woman returned then he would go back to being the council's watchdog as Edward put it.

He couldn't help but curse Grace, she knew who he really was deep down. He could sleep with all the women in the world with her in the room watching him but he couldn't lie to her. What they had in the past prevented him from doing so. He may have acted like a man who only desire from women was sex but the two of them both knew that he was using that a shield.

He arrived at the door and walked through it, not surprised to see Earl Edward sitting there waiting for him.

_Only you Grace, only you._

* * *

Alrick was hiking through a dense forest on the outskirts of Corona. He had briefly met with King Frederic who was less than excited to see him in his kingdom, especially with an armed force outside the village. When the old Commander explained that they were hunting the remnants of an army that had committed a great many atrocities the King remained skeptical but allowed them passage through the kingdom as long as they allowed some scouts to accompany them. Alrick didn't mind the extra men, perhaps they could see that the soldiers from Blackdust really meant no harm and wished for peace.

As they moved through the forest, the Commander had his ears strained for any disturbances. Rakat's army was well trained however they were not very subtle. They preferred guns and cannons as well as towering weapons and armor compared to the Mystic Guard's more stealth approach. He had sent scouts to search the surrounding area and report if they found the target. So far they came back with nothing which forced Alrick to continue their trek well into the night.

Fortunately, with their dark colored uniforms and thick vegetation around, they would have the advantage. His soldiers were trained to disappear and use the cover of darkness to break sight line and attack from unexpected angles. While the King's Spearhead would attack the enemy head on, the Mystic Guard would sabotage as well as eliminate key targets. That was why they needed so few in number to be quite effective, they're enemies never saw them coming.

Which made it quite surprising when a flare launched high into the air and the forest erupted in a fury of footsteps and weapons being drawn.

Alrick instantly moved behind a tree as the sound of multiple guns and cannons went off and shredded nearby trees. Knowing better than to call for his men to see who was alive and give away his position, the King quickly climbed up the tree and hopped from branch to branch in time with the sound of gunshots to mask his movements.

When he found the source of the gunshots, he wasn't too surprised to see men in unfamiliar uniforms in a firing line formation. From what he could tell through the leaves in the tree, there were around fifty of them. His force only consisted of twenty men and the ten scouts he received from Corona. He had no idea how many of his men survived, he had faith that their training would serve them and when he made his move they would be ready.

Two smoke bombs were thrown into the formation of soldiers after their latest volley and confusion began to spread as they tried to move out of the smoke. As they tried to escape, two blades danced in between them and took out a few of them with every swing. They weren't even aware of their comrades dying on account of how loud their footsteps were and how panicked they were from being in a smokescreen. Half of them emerged from the smoke and pointed their weapons at the trees where the smoke bombs came from.

When they saw a shadow move from one branch to another, they all fired, which was a horrible mistake on their part. As soon as the volley ended, men in dark uniforms rushed out the brush with no fear in their hearts and their weapons ready. Half of the enemy tried to reload their weapons and fire them before they were attacked while the other charged with their bayonets and swords.

The sounds of weapons clanging against one another filled the night and when the smoke dissipated, King Alrick had his double bladed sword twirled in his hand, surrounded by the bodies of the enemies he killed inside the smoke. The remainder of the Mystic Guard quickly finished off their opponents before whistling in a distinct pattern. The King waited and could hear some more whistles coming from the forest where a few more of his soldiers walked out with two scouts from Corona.

"Status."

One Mystic Guard member wearing a pauldron on his right arm and chest plate with a spear in his hand approached the King before reporting.

"Twelve dead, four of ours and the rest were the reinforcements the King supplied us with. We have a few minor injuries, none that would hinder mobility."

"What team scouted in the direction the flare came from?"

"Davis and Reinhardt were sent in that direction and haven't returned yet, it's safe to assume the enemy came from that direction."

Alrick nodded before walking over to the Corona scouts who looked somewhat shaken up by the ambush they just walked into. He kneeled so he was eye level with them and made sure they were looking into his eyes.

"Listen, I get that this was more than you were expecting but mourning your friends will have to come later. Right now the guys who just attacked us are likely in northeast, we need to know if there are any notable geographical points of interest in that direction. What's the terrain and are there any structures that could house a sizable force?"

The scout on the left was an older man with a darker complexion and a bald head spoke first. "There's a valley in that direction that has a rebuilt dam. There's a multitude of mining tunnels on the inside as well, if someone were going to hide a large force, they could do so there."

"There any way we could get the high ground on them, a vantage point overlooking the entire valley?"

The other scout that had messy ginger hair spoke up. "There are ridges surrounding the valley that would allow us a good view but to get there we'll need to take a detour."

Alrick nodded before ordering his men to ready to move out. Once everyone was set to leave, the group ambled through the forest, careful of any additional ambushes before arriving out the forest and along a mountain path. From the mountain path, the Corona scouts said it wouldn't take that long for them to be able to see into the valley.

As they walked, the King kept a sharp eye on his surroundings yet was able to let his thoughts wander a small amount. Even though they weathered that ambush pretty well save for the Coroans that died, he wished that he had Rahim with him. The boy was a marvelous scout and usually stayed far ahead of whatever direction the main force was moving. If he encountered a threat, he'd either return to the force to advise them of the danger or neutralize it on his own. There have been many times as his men marched that Alrick would walk over the corpses of the soldier's victims.

All of them would die to one single wound since Rahim was partial to an eastern style known as iaijutsu or iaido. The style was primarily made for one to unsheathe and resheathe their weapon quickly, it wasn't a combat oriented style but nevertheless the soldier made it effective. Most enemies he would fight he'd let them make the first move and then countered that would generally end the battle right then right there. If the enemy was unsuspecting, they wouldn't even hear him draw his blade before they left the mortal plane.

The main reason he chose that fighting style was to keep his katana as sharp as possible over a long period of time. Generally katanas were weapons that were made for cutting flesh and bone but not other metals or clashing with other weapons. Doing so would chip the blade until it either became useless or snapped. The sheathe was made to protect the blade for as long as possible and conserve its cutting edge. Rahim had spent plenty of time sharpening off chips to maintain his weapon until it got to the point that he would just make another one.

Until he made that katana from the metal found on that alchemist.

Alrick had been in many battles and seen quite a few weapons, however that particular one was one of a kind. It completely rewrote the rules on what katanas were used for. The blade could now cut through other metals while maintaining its sharp edge, the damage it could do to a body was devastating. It inspired Rahim to adopt a more aggressive style of fighting that he rarely ever used. It was designed to completely overwhelm if not outright slaughter his opponent if they ever got caught in his ferocity.

The stance was him placing both hands on the hilt while bringing it behind his head as if he was preparing to swing at something. He then alternated with heavy two handed slashing strikes that were intended to cleave weapon and body from his target or single handed stabs that would usually end his target's life. Whenever he entered that stance, it was like a demon had possessed him, there was no pause in his movements, just an unyielding torrent of attacks that did not cease until whatever was in his way was dead at his feet. Each attack would be a step forward, never faltering, always with the intent of success.

It would've been considered reckless if his weapon didn't weigh close to nothing making it damn near impossible to dodge and that Rahim _never _lost sight of his target. The ones that could dodge the furious movements would attempt to exploit the slight opening that each of his heavy two handed swings made but unfortunately for them, the soldier was more than aware of those openings. Whenever someone would try to go for it, they would forget that Rahim was a master at iaido that stressed countering at a moment's notice. The flow from his aggressive hellbent style of attack back to iaijutsu was seamless and completely unexpected.

In Alrick's opinion though, that wasn't what made Rahim so dangerous. What truly made him a force to be reckoned with was his mindset. His single minded quest for the monster that killed his mother made him view any and all obstacles as an enemy that colluded with his mother's killer. He put all of his rage and pain into every strike against his enemies and chased them down with a religious fury.

It was unnerving to be his Commander and keep a leash on him. Looking back now, he could see that he had a Pride with him even back then. Rahim would keep to himself and move forward always, killing anything in his way. As his Commander, it was his job to keep him moving in the right direction but if he was being truthful, he failed at it. While their relationship had grown closer than what they were initially and the boy becoming friends with his son had an effect on him, Rahim at his core was still less than human.

As far back as he could remember, he'd never seen Rahim smile once.

Perhaps Ahimoth had but he certainly hadn't. He trusted the boy explicitly and was sad to hear he wouldn't be fighting alongside him anymore. Seeing him in Arendelle smiling and happy certainly threw him from a loop. While it was good that Rahim was finally smiling, it was bittersweet when he learned that it was Wrath in the body and not the boy he fought with.

He didn't know how true that was and hoped that Rahim was like Pride who remained the same even though he had a different name. He was there when Shahbaz was formally tested in front of the military chain of command as well as King Rakat himself. For some reason the King himself wanted to witness a child fight soldiers. The battle was short and ended with Shahbaz killing his opposition. The boy remained the same even after changing his name and becoming even more a danger than he was as a child. He hoped that Wrath was the same and just felt extremely guilty for what had happened during the civil war.

Him coming here and putting his skill in use for the sake of Blackdust and clearing his name would've been a good way to clear his conscience but it seemed that Arendelle was a better place for him. Alrick still wondered if he should inform him about what happened with his brother becoming Pride and possibly being in league with this Father person. He couldn't say it before because he didn't know how he would take it but he needed to be told.

"My King, we've arrived."

Alrick focused on his surroundings more and crept up to a ridge that oversaw the valley that had a dam that wasn't entirely filled with water yet. His men took up positions along the ridgeline as they kept low to avoid detection. Thanks to it being night time with their uniform being black they had better camouflage in the moonlight. When the King looked over the edge, he could see men mulling about moving crates. One of his soldiers handed him a spyglass that he used to confirm if they were indeed the remnants of Rakat's army. Their uniforms matched the soldiers that ambushed them from earlier and had the old Blackdust insignia on their shoulders.

From his position, Alrick could already see that there was no way that he could take on the force below them with the men he had on hand right now. Judging by the way they were moving crates from inside the tunnels it was safe to assume that there were more soldiers inside. He estimated that there were around three hundred of them mulling around in the open. He may have wanted to snuff out the force below him but he would need to return with more men. Fortunately he was able to confirm that they were here so Wrath's information checked out.

As he was about to leave, he couldn't help but look at the wooden dam as well as all the soldiers that were below it. If he brought it down then the tidal wave would wash the soldiers below if not drown them. He was sure that they would have guards posted on the support beam to prevent that from happening. There was also the fact that it was a dam in another kingdom, who know what kind of damage he would inflict if he brought it down. Turning to a Coroan scout, he pointed along the valley.

"Where does the valley lead to?"

"Along a pass until reaching a forest."

"Any people living there?"

"No, it seems the dam has had a history of breaking which made people abandon living in the forest below it. The King keeps rebuilding it to gather water more easily."

"So you're saying we can bring it down?"

The scout looked unsure for a moment. "That isn't our call to make, that lies with his Majesty…" Alrick nodded his head and actually looked considerate.

"Alright, in that case I would ask you to return to King Frederic with the request that we bring this dam down to flush out the dissidents. If he says no then we won't bring it down and will explore other options. Four of my men will accompany you to ensure you make it back. We're going to remain here and recon, on my honor as a soldier and King, I will not bring this dam down without your sovereign's permission."

The scouts looked at one another for a second, they were somewhat apprehensive with leaving the King on his own unsupervised. Their King had asked that they keep an eye on the foreign King while he was here because he wasn't fully trusted. While he may appear cordial on the outside they just met the man and just watched him dispatch a good amount of men on his own in low visibility.

There was also the fact that their soldiers were very efficient, they rushed the remaining survivors and killed them without pause. The two scouts were sure that if one of them wanted to they could probably kill the two of them. To prevent them from returning to Corona and carrying out their plan of tearing the dam down to kill their enemy wasn't that big of a stretch. The two of them wondered if it was smarter to head back on their own instead of having four soldiers from a rumored bloodthirsty kingdom accompany them.

Alrick could see the two of them debating something and honestly didn't have to think really hard about what they were thinking about. It was something that he told himself he'd get used to but wasn't happy about it. He needed to get rid of the remnants then focus on diplomatic ventures. He couldn't expect other kingdoms to trust him right away when they only knew of the rumors, he would have to show them that Blackdust wasn't that way anymore.

He turned the remainder of his men and barked out orders. "We are all returning to the capitol, we've confirmed our target's position and will ask the King for advice on how we shall proceed."

His men quickly prepared to move out when another flare shot into the air. Expecting that it was another enemy ambush, Alrick quickly turned around and prepared to fight when he noticed one of his men had a flare gun aimed in the air. The King whirled his head down into the valley to see the soldiers down there all looking in their direction. The Commander rounded back on the soldier who fired the flare and roared.

"**What do you think you're doing?! You just gave away our position!**"

The soldier shrugged before speaking. "Well you gave away the pride of our kingdom when you debase yourself and beg other kingdoms for things you can just take. With Rakat, no one challenged us and we were prosperous, until you couldn't make the hard decisions anymore. Because of you, our kingdom went through a civil war that left us on the edge of economic collapse and forced us to rely on a weak kingdom for help."

As the soldier spoke the other men prepared to strike him down but Alrick held up a hand stopping them. He wanted to hear this. The soldier watched them stand down and scoffed as he continued.

"Then you had the gall to pardon all the soldiers who opposed you in the civil war with the promise that they serve Blackdust. You turned the other cheek when men lost their loved ones because you knew the military was in shambles and it was all your fault. If you had only done what you were told and remained loyal, we would still be at the height of our power. We could've conquered any who would oppose us instead of bending backwards to join an alliance. We have a weapon that could annihilate anyone who would oppose us and you send him to clean up a mess you caused. Even without Pride, our army was trained to infiltrate and destabilize the power structure of a kingdom and make it easy pickings for their enemies. Rakat played the other lands against one another and made sure we prospered, what have you done King?"

The soldier took a step forward until he was face to face with the Commander. "Because from where I'm standing, the only traitor I see here is you. You've hurt Blackdust more than any enemy and have the audacity to say you love your home."

Alrick looked at the soldier thoughtfully for a moment. The man in front of him essentially committed suicide by launching that flare and getting so close to the Commander. Despite that, the King could tell the man was a patriot, he truly believed in Rakat's vision for Blackdust and couldn't stand the state his home was in now.

Alrick could relate with that, the man made some valid points and wasn't wrong, his kingdom was weak right now. They used to be feared far and wide making others wary of having them as enemies. Now, if some kingdom decided to invade, the King was sure they would lose. That was hard to admit to himself that he _did _play a part in making his home such a weak target but he knew it needed to be done.

Unlike Rakat, Alrick knew his men weren't just numbers. They had lives, loved ones, a future that he felt obligated to give them. A future constantly fighting and being sent on suicidal missions was not a life he wanted for the people of his home. So he took a stand and broke down the militaristic structure of his home and made a council to show that even he wasn't above reproach. He clamped down on his darker instincts, the very ones that were screaming at him to tear the soldier in front of him apart piece by piece with his bare hands.

But he wouldn't.

He expected that sooner or later someone would challenge his decisions in a manner similar to this. While it was disadvantageous that the soldier did it here when they had the element of surprise and a strategy to put down a large force, he wouldn't strike down the man who was brave enough to speak.

"You're right, Blackdust used to be strong but is now weak because of my actions. I'm saddened by that fact but I do not regret it at all, I would start that civil war all over again if it meant that my home wouldn't become an empire who just throws away men for land. You think I'm weak by asking others for assistance but I believe that is my greatest strength, to know when I must ask for help when a task is impossible for me. I will never ask my men to do anything that I myself would never do. I fought Rakat one on one and with all of his power he still lost to me. I asked my friends and my enemies for help because a soldier should not fight for just their King, they should fight for their home and the people they care for."

Alrick brought out his weapon and gave it a few twirls before walking in the direction of the valley. "I fight for my home, my son, my soon to be daughter, and the men that follow me. That is what makes me strong, my desire for them to have a future keeps me moving forward. No matter what lies in my way, I will face it with my head held high. I will not kill you, I cannot fault you for being loyal to your home, you will be taken to Corona and imprisoned. My men will escort you then send a request to my son asking for additional troops, when I return we will discuss the matter more in detail."

The soldier was instantly detained and watched the Commander continue his way down the path that led into the valley. From above they could see the large force beginning to run into the tunnels as well as making their way to their position. It wouldn't be too long until the enemy would be upon them and they were hopelessly outnumbered, yet the King continued his stroll toward them with his weapon resting against his shoulder.

The Mystic Guard member from earlier with the spear quickly ran up to the King and fell in step with him. "Your Majesty, I would advise that we use this time to escape. There are simply too many to fight right now."

"Exactly, I want you to take the Corona scouts and that soldier to the capitol and request reinforcements. I will remain here and buy you some time."

"My King, you cannot be serious. You cannot hope to hold off such a force on your own. Plus you are the King, you cannot afford to die here, allow me to stay and buy you time."

"Not happening, you have your orders."

The Mystic Guard member watched in shock as his King still kept walking alone to face the horde of enemies coming. He listened to that speech and was inspired by it, it showed him that he was right in standing by Alrick. Yet right now he was contradicting himself, he should know full well that he couldn't hold off that kind of enemy on his own and should ask for assistance in what would likely be a suicide mission.

That's when it hit him.

This _was _a suicide mission, he said that he wouldn't throw men away as if they were numbers, they each had lives and meaning to him. He was giving them a chance to have a future and was going to sacrifice himself to ensure they do. It was noble but it pissed him off. They were the Mystic Guard for a reason, if the Mystic was going into battle, they would be there to guard him. He was also their King, he was needed for Blackdust and come hell or high water, the member wasn't going to let his sovereign die.

The Mystic Guard member turned around and barked his orders. "Men, we are returning to the capitol and requesting reinforcements. Our King is going to remain here and buy us time to escape, it is paramount that a request is sent to Prince Ahimoth that requests we need more men. That being said, I will not allow my King to fight alone, this will likely result in my death but such is the nature of the life we chose. I give you leave to make your own decisions to complete the mission."

With that the member rushed to catch up to Alrick who looked at him for a moment before looking forward once again. The two of them walked down the path until they reached a bottleneck area where only a few men could fit going up the path. This would be where they would make their stand, if they could hold this position then they wouldn't have to worry about being attacked from behind.

As the first wave of enemies rushed to attack them, Alrick heard hurried footsteps behind him and prepared to go back to back to fend off the attackers but was greeted with more of his men rushing to assist them. The Commander was about to reprimand them for not following his orders until he did a quick count and noticed that four of his men were missing, including the traitor and the Coronoan scouts.

It seemed that they had decided to split up their forces to ensure the mission gets completed and that the King had support. Alrick would've sent them away but he knew that he couldn't hold this path on his own and they were doing what they thought was right for their home. So he got them in position and waited for the enemy to meet them.

With no fear, the Mystic Guard clashed with their enemies with the love for their home in their hearts.

* * *

Elsa stared down the man in front of him with a guarded expression as she heard what he just said.

"So for your place here in my kingdom, you will tell me everything about this Father person _and _how to remove Wrath from Edward's body?"

"Yes, quite a beneficial deal on your part. You get to know about your main threat and get rid of another one that's right under your nose."

The first thing that the blonde thought was that she couldn't just take anything of what this man said at his word alone. They were still under the assumption that this man was indeed Father. However, she still had some lingering doubts, not just from what Edward said, but more so from what Wrath said.

_...Talib never showed an ounce of emotion toward another human that was similar to what he showed that woman tonight. I highly doubt he'd entertain some woman as a cover for his plans. There are far more efficient ways of going about them._

From the stories that Edward told of his childhood, the man he described didn't seem like the one she was standing in front of right now. Again, he could be lying for all she knew, even so he was taking a big risk admitting to who he was and what he had done.

"It would be a very enticing deal indeed if I had confidence that your words are true. Look at it from my perspective, how could I trust a complete stranger who has already had a hand in imprisoning me?"

Talib seemed to agree with her as he took on a pondering expression. Elsa waited for him to come up with a response that would be adequate. After a while he shrugged his shoulders the best he could given his situation.

"To be completely honest you shouldn't, there is indeed no way you can for sure know if I am lying. Even if you brought Wrath here to verify my story, you risk me taking him over as you believe I would. The only thing I can say that could convey that I am not your enemy, is to ask why you think Father hasn't come here yet even with your abilities being revealed for so long? And if I was Father, then why haven't I made a move on you sooner, the fact I'm the one who fashioned those restraints means that I've known about your magic for at least a decade. If something like Wrath is afraid of me then imagine how much damage I could've done while you were locked away in your room, assuming of course that I am Father."

As much as she hated to admit it, he was right in his assessment. If he was living under the alias Garret Sobel then he would've had ample opportunities to harm her if she was a threat to him. She couldn't risk him being here when Edward returned due to the danger of the young man being taken over or him losing himself in a rage after seeing the man. That was also the reason she couldn't just hold him here until she came up with other options that she most likely wouldn't come up with.

For now, she was at a loss and couldn't think of an answer. She wanted to have the opportunity to learn about Father if the man in front of her wasn't indeed him. There was also the matter of learning how to separate Wrath from Edward. Elsa honestly didn't know how to feel about that, Edward would likely leap at the chance to have his body all to himself and not worry about the demon over his shoulder.

However Elsa remembered speaking with Wrath and couldn't see him as a monster. He was as much a victim as Edward was, the genuine fear and panic in his red eyes spoke volumes. She had no idea of what would become of him if the two of them separated. Grand Pabbie said that the two of them were two halves of the same whole yet couldn't be one without realizing that they were both one in the same. If they were to be separated then who knows if they could survive independently of one another.

"You said that you could tell me how to remove Wrath from Edward's body, if and I stress _if, _I released you and we did what you proposed what would happen to the two of them?"

"Well _Edward _I suppose would retain control over the body while Wrath would still reside in his core and remain just as a source of power until it was given another body. It's just as likely that Wrath retains the body and Edward is expelled, it would all depend on who is dominant and was truly intuned with the body. There's also the chance that neither would survive the process and would completely break down if they didn't have the energy to keep themselves bound to the body."

Elsa scoffed, as she turned away to stop looking at the man in front of her. This was exactly what she was afraid of, all three scenarios included one of them losing or being trapped. She would not allow that, even if they remained as two halves, both of them deserved a chance at life. She had half a mind to freeze the man in front of her where he stood and just lock him away somewhere Edward wouldn't find him.

"That's unacceptable, the two of them have been through enough already."

"I see, then perhaps this might be more to your liking. Did you ever notice that Edward's skin is tan and he has red eyes? Originally he had paler skin, black hair, and blue eyes. The reason for that is because Father wanted a fail safe in all the Sins in case they rebelled against him. He had their body ingrained with black dust that he can control. It would allow him to manipulate their bodies against their will or immobilize those who are too strong. Even if Wrath managed to resist Father's control then he would still be susceptible to this fail safe. There is a way to remove it however, the process would be dangerous as it would essentially be me skinning him alive. I highly doubt he would agree to such a procedure."

"If that is true then why does his eyes change from red to blue whenever they switch with one another."

"Because the black dust in the eyes are more tuned with the Sin's soul versus the body. Ever heard the expression _the eyes are the window to the soul. _Well Father took that quite literally and had the eyes ingrained to be more tuned with the soul instead of the body so at the very least he could see what they saw if they could resist the body manipulation."

"So Father could see and control his puppets with this fail safe at any time?"

"No, Father _himself _can't. The one who originally created all the Sins could. One thing you should know about Father is that he doesn't have his body anymore, he is inhabiting other bodies since his body was frozen solid for a time. He had to use..._other means..._to preserve his life but his original body was lost so he uses others as mediums."

Elsa remembered the story that Grand Pabbie told them and could see that would make sense. If Father was indeed frozen by the Elemental, she now knew how he was still around if he never found love as Edward believed. She couldn't help but notice the way Talib said _other means _as if it disgusted and angered him to think about what Father did. She wanted to ask but she was aware that there were more than just her in the throne room who have heard the name Wrath and Edward being used interchangeably and would begin to wonder.

He gave her a lot to think about and for now she would have to think about it alone.

"Listen to me closely sir. I will release you and you will return to your home. When I summon you, you _will _respond and come to the castle. There will be a guard stationed outside your home and he will report back to me daily. You will _not _return to this castle without my express say so and if you wish to speak with me you will ask the guard. I will consider your offer and give you an answer at my discretion but make no mistake if you attempt to take advantage of me in any way…"

Elsa let an ice spike slowly come out the ground and grow until it was pressing against the man's neck so closely that if he nodded his head he would've impaled himself.

"...you will not enjoy the consequences that such actions will result in."

Talib kept his eyes on hers and could tell while she may not impale him as she threatened, she would act if he made a move she didn't like. Queen Elsa truly was a good person, it was a weakness to be sure but he himself knew there was a strength in it.

"I understand Your Majesty. If I may ask one thing however."

"What would that be?"

"Do not allow Wrath to come anywhere near my home."

That was already a given seeing that she didn't trust the man in front of her yet but she was curious as to why he would ask her of that.

"It almost sounds like you're afraid of him. What could Edward do to you if you hold the power to separate him from Wrath?"

"For me to do so, he would need to be docile and allow me access to his soul. There's also the fact that the family I now have is innocent, I will not allow Wrath to do what he had did to those men in Blackdust to my family. Make no mistake, if Wrath lays one finger on my wife or daughter then I will spend the rest of my life ensuring his is a living hell."

Elsa released him from his prison before holding a hand out for him to shake. Talib looked at it for a moment before extending his hand and shaking hers. As he did a flash of ice engulfed his hand until a bracelet was formed on his wrist.

"Just some insurance Talib."

"Please, call me Mr. Sobel."

* * *

**Hey guys new chapter sorry for a long update. You know how weird it is to go on leave and still not have a moment yourself. I've been home and been out most of the day, like legit I haven't even had a chance to play on my pc and I've almost been here for a week. Makes me want to go back to base and no life my desktop and work on this fanfic. At the same time I thought of an AWESOME twist that will make me downright furious if I don't get reviews for it. Stay tuned for more updates hopefully I'll get a day to myself soon.**


	38. Chapter 38

**Shout outs to **tl404 Kinnblade blingzing **for the favorite/follow**

**Special shoutout to **Tan-Sky **for the review really REALLY appreciated that. I personally think it isn't THAT too well written but i'm trying to make it better, I love that you are enjoying it.**

* * *

To be honest, Edward expected the field excercise to be a lot more strenous then what they were currently doing. Stonewell had said that he would help teach him how to control Wrath, and even find his _balance._

_Whatever that means._

They had spent the day walking until they made it to the top of a mountain where there was a rundown temple of some sort built against the mountain face. The Captain led the way inside and revealed there to be a cave where he explained that many years ago there were warriors who trained up here to hone their senses. Inside the cave there was supposed to be a trial of some sort where there would be traps and obstacles that were designed to test one's senses.

It sounded like nonsense to the young man until Stonewell revealed that he used to train here when he first arrived in Arendelle and was one of the last few surviving students. He wouldn't say what happened to the temple as well as the other students but he said that it was good that he brought the young man up here. They made camp at the entrance of the cave to avoid the winter wind and then the Captain began to go into detail on how he planned on helping Edward gain control.

From the documents, it said that when a foreign soul was introduced in a body that the present one still occupied, the two would fight for dominance. Whoever won the struggle would completely devour the soul thus leaving the body with only one soul. The reason for that was it was dangerous to have multiple souls controlling one body due to them pulling on it in different directions.

For example, if a serial killer and a pacifist both shared the same body then each would devote their time to stopping one another. Sooner or later the struggle between them would cause too much strain on the body until finally destroying one another. Edward and Wrath started that way with each both taking control and fighting against one another which should have caused a hazard to the two of them but for some reason, the body held up. However, no one knew how long that would hold up.

In short, the two halves would either have to synchronize or become one, if they didn't then the body was liable to break down.

When Stonewell explained that, Edward couldn't help but sigh again and added him to the count of people who believed that he and Wrath were the same person. The young man still couldn't see that, logically he could see that they were somewhat similar in that they were attack dogs but as much as he interacted with the demon it never expressed a sense of guilt over what it had done. It even kept _trophies _from its victims, which should clearly show that it enjoyed killing.

Regardless, the Captain gave another option that wasn't present before, he didn't have to be one with Wrath, only keep it from pulling too much on the body. That meant if he could get in tune with Wrath then he maybe will be able to control it.

That was the theory, actually proving it was a challenge.

The two of them spent the next day meditating, the battle hardened old man couldn't stress enough how much the state of one's mind played a role in battle. The entire time they sat there just listening to the wind blow, Stonewell wanted Edward to clear his thoughts of all distractions and just relax. Essentially he wanted the young man to let go of the world. That proved difficult since he always kept an eye on himself and Wrath most of the time. Rahim was taught that constant focus was important and should be maintained, which he excelled at.

It was like learning to use your left hand as efficiently as your right hand.

The concept wasn't difficult yet as much as he tried, Edward could still hear the breathing of the man next to him as well as the subtle shift of rocks blown away by the winter wind. When he heard the whistle of a blade coming right toward him, he instantly jumped to the side and saw that the old man had thrown one of his swords at him.

"You're still too focused, you need to let go. You know, become one with nature."

"Oh that's really easy with a senile old man is throwing weapons at me!"

Stonewell didn't bat an eye as he plucked his sword that was sticking out of the ground. "If you let go and hadn't moved from your position, you would've noticed that the blade wasn't going to hit you. You need to let go of your surroundings and not let anything distract you."

Edward sighed as he shook his head and waved off the Captain before getting back into his meditative state. Letting go was easier said than done, the only times he's _truly _let go was after indulging in carnal acts with Elsa. That when he truly relaxed and let everything flow away. He suspected it was because it was the blonde who just had that effect on him. Physically speaking, such an act wouldn't completely tire him out, he could keep moving for days before dropping yet with her he just felt lighter. That all the energy he put in keeping up the weight on his shoulders evaporated when he finished with her.

It was a good feeling and one that it would be nice to be able to replicate anywhere but he couldn't bring himself to relax that much. Wrath stated that he had an interest in killing Elsa. he couldn't dismiss that and would always keep an eye on the demon to ensure that it would never come to pass. There was also the fact that whenever he deeply meditated and visited Wrath's soul, he would still land in that reflective plain and see a structure in the distance.

The two of them weren't fighting for dominance anymore, Wrath only took over when Edward himself panicked and couldn't move on his own. As per their agreement, the demon just kept to himself and rarely if ever spoke aloud. Surely such a time would be great to let go of all of his fears and thoughts but what stopped him was Wrath being able to take over at Anna and Kristoff's wedding.

There were _so _many things that could've gone wrong.

Wrath could've killed so many people especially with Talib being in the party. Edward furiously thanked God over and over that the demon only recited his speech and talked to Elsa before relinquishing control. It was so sudden and natural for his consciousness to simply take a back seat to the demon that it was unnerving. If something like that could happen anytime then he couldn't see himself letting go anytime soon.

The same whistle of a blade coming quite close to him had him flinching but remained where he was. He hoped that Stonewell would be satisfied with that but he could hear the old man blow through his nose in disappointment.

"You're still focusing too hard. At this rate we'll be out here for an entire month instead of a week." Edward opened one eye and gave the old man a glare before going back to trying to meditate. At first they were only supposed to be out here for three days but the Captain extended the time for some unknown reason. Perhaps it was because of him learning about Wrath and decided three days wouldn't be enough.

The young man huffed in annoyance, the lax state of mind he had with Elsa was next to impossible to achieve without her. He didn't want to think that he needed to sleep with her to let go of everything but doing it without her was quite difficult. His fear of Wrath going wild was enough to keep him from fully letting go and allowing the demon a free pass to do as he pleased without interference.

The same sound of something coming his way reached his ears and this time he fought really hard to not move a muscle. As it got closer and closer, he smiled to himself when he felt his body hadn't moved in the slightest but was quite surprised when his nose exploded in pain. His hands instantly few to his nose to feel some blood dripping from it. His eyes whirled in rage toward the old man who was wiping off his bloodied knuckles.

It was obvious that the Captain had punched him in the face after saying that he needed to let go of his surroundings and become peaceful. How counterproductive that was since Edward was about to blow his top in anger as he choked it down enough to hold himself back from jumping the old man.

"_What. The. Fuck. Was. That. For?"_

"You weren't getting it, so I thought of trying a different approach."

The young man _really _wanted to tear the old man apart so much so that he tried accessing Wrath's abilities as he had done in the past. They didn't come of course but his left arm grew more tense and its claws grew so much sharper that they pierce his palm. He knew that he needed to calm down so he tried closing his eyes and breathing but the telltale sound of a sword whistling through the air halted his attempt.

Edward caught the blade in his left hand and threw the old man a seething dark glare before crushing the metal in his hand. "You might want to back off for a moment." Stonewell wasn't intimidated in the least as he drew another sword with his off hand.

"No, I think I should keep going. I'm actually getting somewhere with this method."

The old man swung his other blade much faster than his first forcing his opponent to jump back. Before he could land, a barrage of strikes came in his way from the two swords in the Captain's hands. Edward reached down for his own weapon but remembered that it was with the rest of their supplies in the cave. With nothing but his arm to defend himself with, the young man dodged and used his claws to fend off the old man's attacks.

Despite his reflexes and the power his left arm provided, the Captain still managed to land multiple cuts on his body as they kept fighting. Getting fed up with the old man, Edward attempted to throw a heavy haymaker at him but ended with his left hand having a blade through his palm and one at his throat. This forced a stalemate as the young man's angry breaths were the only thing that could be heard on top of the mountain. Stonewell on the other hand was calm and looked like he hadn't broken a sweat in their small bout.

"You're angry, it's not unsurprising or bad but you allowed it to lessen your fighting ability; again. You must remain calm at all times and fight with your best state of mind." With that, the Captain ripped his broken blade from Edward's left hand while moving his other one away from his throat. The young man flexed his hand a bit as he felt the wound close almost instantly. Part of him wanted to throw another punch at the old man to get even but he looked at the man in front of him and noticed something.

Stonewell's eyes were focused intently on him like he was the only thing in the world that mattered. There was no cigar in his mouth to pull his attention away like the other times they fought, this time, the young man had his complete and utter attention.

Edward was given another moment to rest before the Captain exploded into action once again. There was no wasted movement coming from him at all, each attack had purpose and flowed seamlessly into his next one. From a bystander's view, the old man likely looked like a hurricane of blades as he pushed the young man across the mountain top.

From Edward's point of view, all he could see were his opponent's eyes on his at all times. He tried to track the two swords that were coming at him relentlessly yet they were utterly like blurs that made him have to guess where they were attacking from. His reflexes allowed him to avoid grievous injuries when he guessed incorrectly but he couldn't keep this up for long. He was getting pushed harder and harder that his anger earlier gave way to slight panic as he tried to keep up with the old man's moves.

It was like fighting Wrath in the Dark Forest years ago.

No matter what move he made, his opponent always had an answer. It was essentially being used as a training dummy that could dodge. He couldn't even begin to strike back. Edward thought back to all their sparring before and wondered how he ever managed to keep with Stonewell. Clearly the man he was fighting now was leagues different from the one he sparred with almost daily.

He needed to do better, he was here to learn how to get stronger and actually use Wrath. Before when he used Wrath's abilities against Envy, the demon said that with his abilities it should've taken minimal effort, yet he restrained himself with foolish notions. He replied back then that holding onto his humanity wasn't a foolish notion, only to be countered with humanity's history is filled with mostly war.

He didn't have an answer to that at the time, unfortunately it was true since human's always fought over the most trivial things. The seven deadly sins were all reasons enough for humans to fight one another. With him being Wrath, it should've come more easily to him but due to the circumstances of his life, he tried avoiding battles.

Even now, he was looking for a way to end this fight between him and Stonewell before things got out of hand but no matter how he looked at it, the old man was too good of an opponent to fight half heartedly. As the two of them continued, he began to think that maybe embracing the idea of fighting would better his current situation. He gained complete control over Wrath in that bandit base when he wanted to kill those two men and he was able to put up a good fight against Zavis because he knew that he had no choice in fighting and it would also save Elsa.

Yet right now, there was no reason to fight Stonewell besides the fact the old man was fighting him for some unknown reason. It was dumb to fight for no reason at all, they shouldn't be fighting in the first place. He tried to speak to the old man and have him stop but the swords kept coming.

Another savage swing was sent his way and made his block with his left arm that left a deep cut on his hand as another swing came from the opposite way making him duck under it as the blade flew over his head. This gave him a very brief opportunity at a counterattack with both blades off to the side of his person. Taking a step forward to get closer, the young man tried to come up with an uppercut that would've finished the fight if it connected but a thought entered his mind.

_Block low. _

He didn't understand the thought until he realized that a leg was coming toward his midsection. Forgetting the uppercut, he brought up his arms in time to block the incoming kick that sent him skidding away. He still remained in a stable fighting stance as he wondered where that thought came from before he was once again besieged by a rain of sword swings.

As they came in too fast for him to accurately predict in time, another stray thought entered his mind.

_Swing from eight o'clock. _

Just like before, he noticed the old man's attack before it came his way. With more time to prepare, he was able to grab the arm with the sword in hand while blocking the other with his arm which brought them both face to face. "You're still focusing too hard."

The deadpan way the old man said it made the young one twitch in annoyance but he kept his grip to prolong the moment of peace between them. "It's hard to focus with you trying to kill me. I thought you said we were up here to teach me how to control Wrath not kill me."

"We are. The problem is though, is that you aren't acting like you want to control that power of yours. From all the reports I've read as well as the description of what Alrick said when you and his son fought Zavis, you should be moving much faster and hitting harder than you are right now. Maybe it's because you were fighting someone who wanted you dead or perhaps you've suddenly grown an affection for me and don't want to see me hurt. Regardless of the reason, you won't learn how to unless you use Wrath for what he was meant for."

Stonewell dropped the sword in the hand that was being blocked before reaching and grabbing Edward by the scruff of his coat then bringing him for a hard knee to his chest. When it made contact, the young man wheezed a bit but kept his grip on his opponent's other arm. Using his grip on Edward's collar and his own captive arm, the Captain spun around before harshly throwing the young man on the ground. His opponent's grip loosened yet remained firm but that mattered little to the aged warrior, with his adversary on the ground and his arm free, he was about to put an end to this.

Dropping a knee on the young man's chest, Stonewell used his other leg to kick up his sword then caught it with his free hand. Edward looked up to see the Captain staring at him with an expression promising nothing but death. He had seen people stare at him with the same exact look before but coming from someone like Walter Stonwell was completely different. It held the weight of all the years he had spent fighting as well as the sheer intent of killing the person under him right now.

"I will tell you this now, Edward. You are a threat to Arendelle, plain and simple. I want you to learn how to control Wrath and if this Father character ever comes here, he will be in a rude awakening when you tell him to fuck off. Yet from what I'm seeing, you are weak. You are a threat to Elsa because of your inability to learn control. I will not allow this, you _will _die on this mountain if I deem that you will remain a threat to her Majesty. Wrath wasn't made to be feared, he was made to kill his enemies, simple as that, you may want to be different and that is certainly your choice. You want to live in peace, then do so, you want to avoid fighting then flee as far and as fast as you can. Yet if you wish to stand next to Elsa and defend her from whatever threatens her then you need to get it through that skull of yours that every time you hesitate, there's a chance she'll be lying there dead. It doesn't matter who it is that is fighting you, if they put you down then Elsa will be next, if you're okay with that, then I guess I'll be going home a little earlier than expected."

With that Stonewell swung with the absolute intent of removing Edward's head from his shoulders. It was fast, way too fast to counter but for some reason everything stopped. The old man froze with the expression still on his face and his sword still in position to come down and remove his head.

Edward thought that the Captain was just trying to prove a point and stopped after giving him a healthy scare. He was about to speak when he noticed a bird right above them, he knew he shouldn't take his mind off the man in front of him but the bird couldn't be ignored. It was just an ordinary bird with its wing spread likely flying somewhere warmer.

Yet it was frozen in midair.

It was just still in mid flight, like it was on an invisible surface with its wings spread out. He wanted to point it out to the Captain but found he couldn't speak as well. He tried moving but he was also frozen in place as well. He almost began to panic when something finally moved above him. At first it was a shadow and hard to distinguish but when his eyes adjusted, he was surprised to see himself.

A perfect copy of him was standing above him looking down with a neutral expression on his face. He had his arms crossed as he leaned over and blocked the sun from view so they could look at one another eye to eye.

"Well you got yourself in a fine mess I see."

Edward was confused and didn't know what to say. Here he was talking to himself when everything around him was frozen in place. Perhaps Wrath was playing another trick on him as the two of them were about to be killed by the Captain. It has been a while since the two of them had spoken to one another and usually they would either do it in that space or the demon would speak to him in his mind. Why would he send a perfect copy of himself to speak?

"You do realize that you're far stronger than the old fart right? Plus you got a free arm right now, I don't see the problem with you."

The young man tried to respond to himself, saying that he was just thrown off by the Captain's bloodlust and would make a move but still couldn't speak. The copy of himself continued since he got no response.

"Unless the problem is that you're once again afraid. Come on, you've been told this over and over that you have an irrational fear. So what if Wrath wants to kill Elsa, he has to get past you first. So far you've been letting him pull your strings as he pleased time and time again. Hell if you really let go and had him fight he'd probably be overwhelming the old man in an instant. Instead you're getting your ass kicked and is now about to be killed. What if Stonewell was Hans and after killing you he set his sights on Elsa. You think that just because you can die you can come back and try again? Life doesn't work that way, Wrath himself still plays by God's rules. You can either heal or be stronger, not both. While you're healing and saving yourself, the person behind you could be killed by someone that you should've beaten easily."

The way the copy of himself talked, Edward thought it was Wrath trying to give him a pep talk or something. Having Wrath talk about himself from a third person certainly was odd, especially while using the young man's body to speak.

"Walter's got the right idea, every time you hesitate, someone could die. Look in his eyes, there's not a shred of hesitation in them at all. You two have been training with one another for weeks and he even said that he believes that you would make things right after hearing everything about you. Seems kind of odd that he's going to just kill you after saying all that and trying to teach you how to let go. He's the Captain of the Arendelle guard, not the General of their military. The difference between those is that he is the shield that protects the kingdom's head, if he falls then there is nothing stopping anyone from killing the ruling monarch. A man in his position can't afford to have liabilities roaming around."

That hit Edward hard as he looked up at the man above him. His eyes were steeled and ready for the kill. They were annoyed a while ago as he tried to teach him to let go and had the chance to kill him earlier but didn't. Now there was nothing in them except the cold indifference the man would likely lay on someone who threatened his home.

"You are a really big one, if Father could just turn a switch at any time and you would kill Elsa, then Arendelle is doomed. Before you left, you were with her _alone all night. _She was in your arms, do you know how easy it is to kill someone when they are in your grasp like that? I'm sure he considered that scenario and planned this little trip to definitively erase that threat. There's no mistake, he _is _going to kill you now and there's something you should know. Wrath hasn't killed anyone in a long period of time except those two men in the bandit cave. That means that his energy is at an all time low. I wouldn't be surprised if he couldn't revive you if you were to die enough times."

That made the young man's eyes widen at the information. It just now occurred to him that he was right, the black dust he used in his fight against Envy was large in comparison to what he had reserved since killing off the Mystic Guard. His body may have been enhanced and he could restore a bit of his strength but unfortunately, the only way to truly replenish his supply, he would need to kill someone consumed in anger. That must've been why Wrath hadn't allowed access to his abilites anymore, he had used too much without replenishing any of it. He looked at the Captain with fear now as he focused on the blade poised to take his life.

"Edward, you _are _going to die on this mountain, the truth is Walter Stonewell is not someone you can beat on your own when he really is going for the kill. Whenever you got the upper hand while the two of you were sparring in Arendelle, Wrath always made small nudges in the right direction to get you ahead just like he did a while ago with giving you two hints. If you are really going to stand by Elsa then you have no choice but to learn to control Wrath."

The copy of himself began to walk away as the young man had a feeling that everything was about to move again. As he looked at Stonewell and himself walking away he finally managed to make his mouth work.

"Wait!"

His copy halted midstep before turning around.

"Aren't you Wrath?"

The copy of himself smiled before shrugging his shoulders. "I am Wrath, yet what is that you see?" The copy then vanished leaving Edward alone in the still frozen space around him. The young man knew this wouldn't last long, so he racked his brain for a way out of this. He was battle hardened as well but he was shaken to see the old man he had come to trust actively trying to kill him. Stonewell had said that Wrath was made to kill his enemies and it was ok if he wanted to be different. Edward did want to be different, he didn't want to kill unnecessarily, he didn't want to cause slaughter anymore, he wanted to be peaceful.

Yet he also wanted to protect Elsa.

He knew he could defend her without bringing about massacre but he was afraid of what was inside him. How was he supposed to get over that fear where any day could be the day he could kill Elsa. Perhaps it would be better to let Stonewell get it over with it. With all that he's done maybe it would be better if he didn't come back to Arendelle.

The blade began to slowly move closer and closer as his thoughts began to grow darker and darker. Klein was good and could continue teaching his class. Hector was an asshole but could definitely protect Elsa. Stonewell more than proved to be a match for him and could probably handle whatever came their way in the future. Alrick was hunting down Rakat's remnants and would likely be on Father's trail soon enough.

He wasn't really needed, it was nice to stay in Arendelle but perhaps he was finally ready to get what a monster like him deserved.

"_No, I'm not going to have you sit here and call yourself a monster anymore."_

A rather stern face and two beautiful gems of sky blue eyes had his free hand moving forward. Edward's face scrunched up in pain as the blade slid into his right palm until it reached the guard and stopped its descent. Stonewell's eyes only narrowed but he was quickly thrown off when a leg hit his back and the grip on his arm let him go. The old man rolled into a ready stance as the young one got to his feet with his back turned and the sword still impaled into his hand.

The Captain walked a bit to the side and picked up a fresh set of swords that he lugged with them and prepared to unleash another assault on the still man in front of him.

While this was going on, Edward looked out toward the empty sky and noticed the color. It was the same as the ones he loved staring into, the eyes that truly brought him peace. He said that he wouldn't call himself a monster anymore, he may have thought he was but she didn't. She wanted him next to her and he said that anything hard was worth it for her. Letting go while she wasn't around was definitely hard, the Captain behind him wasn't helping but she was worth it.

Stonewell was right, he _was _a threat, and him being so close to her scared him.

He didn't think it was irrational because he knew how strong Wrath was. Yet Elsa said that he shouldn't be concerned what Wrath could do, he should focus on what _he _could do.

Edward closed his eyes again and took a deep breath, he heard the Captain's foot dig into the snow before it pushed off. The young man blocked that out, he was going to let go right now, he was going to get this or he wasn't coming down this mountain. He willed the world around him to become pitch black, he made everything go away. He banished every thought in his head, from the impending threat to Elsa' beautiful smile. When his mind was finally devoid of all thought, he opened his eyes to see Wrath standing in front of him in a dark void.

"_Are you afraid of me?"_

He remembered Wrath asking Elsa the same question and he knew that the blonde wasn't afraid. He wished he could say the same but he couldn't, looking at the demon in front of him was like looking at the worst part of himself. He was afraid that he would show Elsa this ugly part of himself and hurt her. It was hard to admit that but to get what he wanted he would have to own it.

"I am afraid of myself, not just you. I'm afraid of not being enough that my weakness will once again hurt the people I care about. Like it or not, you're a part of me now and I can't afford to be too scared to use what I have at my fingertips."

The demon tilted his head at the honest answer as if he just noticed something he hadn't before.

"_Then what will you do?"_

"I'm going to use you as much as I can to protect the people I care about, I'm going to put my faith in you. Do what you want with my body but give me the strength I need."

Wrath was silent as he looked in the young man's eyes and saw that they were determined. The red glint in his eyes was evidence that he was done holding back. The demon felt nothing holding him anymore and that Edward's attention wasn't focused solely on him to keep him from doing anything. He also felt no resistance as he prodded at the young man's mind, even with him aware of the demon, he didn't attempt to bar him from making any moves.

"_Then face your opponent, let nothing hold you back, and strike with all the force you can muster."_

The world instantly snapped the mountain top as the footsteps of the Captain got closer and closer. Edward grasped the hilt of the sword that was still in his right hand and slowly pulled it out ignoring the pain. When it was out, he took it with his right hand just in time to block the two swords coming his way. Stonewell was about to move his blades away then strike again but the weight behind the one blocking his increased greatly in an instant and forced him to remain where he was.

"I warned you old man, you should've backed off when you had the chance."

The Captain's eyes widened when his opponent spun around and swung at the locked blades. The fist destroyed all three blades before catching the old man in the chest and knocking him clean off his feet. He was launched backwards and when he hit the ground he continued to roll until he hit a rock that was jutting out the ground.

Stonewell felt the air leave his lungs when he hit the rock and found himself having trouble moving. He really didn't expect the kid to hit him as hard as that so soon. It was definitely surprising, his chest hurt like hell but he supposed he should be grateful. He noticed before impact that Edward had opened his hand and hit him with a palm strike which was harder yet mitigated the chance of his knuckles going into his sternum. Judging by the way his eyes looked in that brief moment, he didn't seem scared anymore. And it seemed that he let go of the world around him for a brief moment and didn't let anything distract him.

This kid really was something.

The old man reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigar and was about to light it when a sword cut the match head off before he could bring it up to his cigar. Looking up he noticed that Edward had picked up another one of his swords and had it at his side with him staring down at the Captain with a red glint in his eyes.

"So what's next?"

* * *

Rapunzel, Eugene, and Cassandra were on their way back to the capital of Corona when they decided to stop by the Snuggly Duckling to say 'hello' to all of the blonde's friends there. While the handmaiden still didn't understand how the Princess could make friends with the seemingly savage group, they all were angels in her presence.

They adored her and asked that she have a drink with them to which she declined since she still wasn't of age yet. There they were, standing in the tavern and watching all the bandits sing some song about having a dream with music coming from a guy with a ball and chain in a corner. Cassandra had a mind to ask about him since she was trying to be a guard herself but Eugene would always say that the guy played a mean tune and kept stealing from people.

She couldn't wait until they got back to the capitol so she could report into the Captain of the guard. He had sent her as the main force of security for the Princess and when she returned it would've been a mission accomplished. The Captain was very reluctant to have her be the bodyguard for the Princess and only allowed her because of the blonde's insistence. With them going and staying for a few extra days, the handmaiden felt that she had proved that she could be a full time guard.

_Then maybe dad can see that I'm not a little girl and that I've grown up to be just like him…_

It was a childish dream she could admit, but it was what she wanted. The Captain was her role model since she was a little girl when he took her in. She remembered never being good enough for her real mom and when she left her alone, he stepped up for her. She tried to be good enough for him, which he would say she was in everything _but _he still was hesitant with letting her be a guard.

Cassandra sighed as she decided to get a breath of fresh air outside. Even though she was supposed to be guarding Rapunzel, she knew that the blonde could take care of herself and that Eugene was with her. She propped herself on a nearby barrel and just let her thoughts wander when Atilla walked by talking with another thug from the pub.

"Yeah I was out looking for some more ingredients near the river downstream and saw loads of bodies floating there. They probably got caught in the dam coming down again, poor bastards." The other thug hummed in agreement as he rubbed his chin.

"They have anything good on them?"

Attila looked shocked as much as he could with that helmet as he recoiled in disgust at what the man said. "I didn't search their bodies for loot! Besides they were all wearing the same uniform, soldier boys don't carry much in their pockets."

Cassandra's ear perked up at the information as she made a mental map in her head where the river beyond the dam was. It was along their way to the capitol so she could check it out. Most people in Corona knew it was dangerous standing under the dam since it came down so often, so for a group of people wearing the same uniforms getting caught by it was a red flag in her opinion. She didn't want to jump to conclusions but it could've been a foreign enemy force amassing at the dam and they unfortunately got caught in a tidal wave.

It was worth checking out to be safer than sorry.

The handmaiden went back inside to collect Rapunzel, telling her that they really needed to return to the capitol as soon as possible. Eugene of course wasted time questioning what was the rush but the dark haired woman was in no mood to entertain his questions. Soon they were making their way toward the capitol, night was beginning to approach as the three of them finally made it to the river.

Atilla was right, there were bodies washed up along the river. The Princess wanted to check and help them but Cassandra laid a hand out and told her to wait for a moment. With a hand on her sword, the handmaiden checked the bodies and saw that they were all killed before being drowned. They all indeed were wearing the same uniform but had nothing in their pockets as well. The black haired woman thought they should hurry home to report this but was stopped by Eugene who pointed to something further upstream.

"Isn't that one of those quiet guys from Arendelle?"

Cassandra looked to see a darker uniform floating downstream toward them. With some effort and rope, they were able to fish the body out and could see that the man was dressed in the same clothes as the ones on the Blackdust ship that was docked in Arendelle. The woman wondered what they were doing in Corona when they only had business in Arendelle, this was definitely something that the King needed to be told of.

Rapunzel and Eugene agreed then prepared to get back on the path back to the Capitol. As Cassandra watched them do so, a frown marred her face. She didn't say anything but she could tell that the soldier from Blackdust was killed recently, judging by the fact his wound was still bleeding as well as the fact that his body was just now flowing downstream. She didn't want to say anything in front of the Princess to worry her but something was going on at the dam.

* * *

Bodies upon bodies littered the dam as Alrick was dragged by two men toward the base of the valley. His men had fought valiantly but couldn't overcome the insurmountable odds, one by one they were killed before being thrown into the river after all was said and done. They had managed to kill off quite a few of the enemy which made him proud of his soldiers. He was ready to die by their side as long as they bought time for the other group to return to the capitol.

But for some reason, the enemy wanted him alive.

So they dragged him and brought him down into the valley then into the tunnels. He was so battered from fighting for so long that his head spun like crazy, pain wasn't an issue because he was so exhausted. He was actually surprised he could recognize that he was in a tunnel right now given the state of his mind.

Minutes of him being dragged passed until he was brought into a door where one of the men knocked on it and waited to be told to come in. When they opened that door and walked in, Alrick was instantly released and hit the ground, too weak to catch himself. He laid there for a moment as the two men left the room and closed the door behind them. The King tried to regain his wits and push himself up to understand his situation but he was far too weak.

"Man, you look _fucked._"

Alrick's mind instantly spiked as he heard someone speak above him. It wasn't the words that made him redouble his efforts to get to his feet, nor was it the fact someone was in there with him. It was the voice that said them made him put all of his effort in getting up and glaring at the man above him.

Asger the Crusher looked much older than he did before the civil war but still had that cruel smile on his face.

"Well that really sucks Mystic, I was hoping that I could start playing with you right away, but it looks like I'm going to have to wait for a while."

* * *

**Hey guys its my 1 year anniversary of this fanfic WOO! Unfortunately I kinda feel that this wasn't an amazing chapter, I mean I like the whole Stonewell trying to kill Ed thing but idk wasn't feeling it. I've been SO busy and honestly I can't wait for the weekend. Hopefully I'll have a better chapter this weekend. Please drop a review as well as a follow and favorite. If you have anything you wish to say to me PM me and I will respond as soon as possible.**


	39. Chapter 39

**Shoutout to tquick101 for follow**

**Also special shoutout to Micheal for review. And the his question is answered at the bottom of chapter.**

* * *

Queen Elsa meant it when she said that he would be watched. As he returned home he noticed that there was a guard post just outside of his farm. The guard changed every single day and had a clear line of vision from the entire property. His wife and daughter had expressed curiosity as to why a guard was looming outside of their home. All he said was that the Queen had taken an interest in him and that if he wished to speak with her, all he need do was ask the guard.

His daughter accepted the reasoning and left to continue her chores but his wife did not. Later that night, he confided into her the real reason the guard was there. To his surprise, she understood and assured him that it wouldn't be a problem. She was the one who usually went to town anyway and manned their stall so it wouldn't be that big of an issue if he couldn't leave the farm. Garret actually told her that the Queen never said he couldn't leave, only that he not return to the castle without her permission, so he could help her with the stall.

His wife appreciated the offer but reminded him the main reason why he's been staying home for the last few days and why he chose _now _to go to the castle. He had already told her of what happened to his previous family and who was speaking at the wedding. His wife understood that and was okay with going into town alone so that he would not be discovered by Wrath. Their daughter wanted to tag along and help her mother man the stall but both parents disagreed. They didn't want her to come in contact with the very person Garret was hiding from.

So while his wife was gone off to the capitol and his daughter tending to her chores, Garret was able to go into his room more often. Notes and books laid scattered around the room in a mess but to the man who wrote them all, they were in the exact place they belonged. He had an old book opened to a page regarding the Seven Deadly Sins that he managed to acquire in his ventures before settling here.

When he first arrived in Arendelle, his main desire was to acclimate here seamlessly. It took some effort and some time but he was able to align things in a way that no one knew he was here.

_Well Father does technically._

His main job was to send reports to Father detailing the progression of Elsa's abilities so if she grew too strong then they could swiftly deal with her. For the most part he did send reports every so often, what no one knew was that each one was fake. They all basically said that she had no control whatsoever and that her coronation helped sell that lie. That kept Father away as he could focus on his other endeavors while he waited for his plan to come to fruition.

At first, his reports were vague and lacked any information because of the late King's decision to lock Elsa away from the world. If he kept up with the essentially useless reports then Father would have no reason to come here and check in on his status. He had only one visit from Greed and managed to convince the Sin that it would be more productive if he could continue his observation in total isolation. Luckily the Sin was looking for a reason to not waste his time watching over someone who spent days researching.

That is what it was like at first, he came here and researched before being sought out by the King to help his daughter. Along the way, he met his wife Haruna. She was a simple farm girl who had a farm to take care of after her parents had died. He was uninterested in her at first and only saw her because the price of her produce was quite cheap and allowed him to buy some materials he used in some of his side projects.

Sooner or later, she managed to get him to give her his name. It was painfully slow opening up to her. After what happened in Blackdust, he wouldn't trust a soul and for the longest time, he suspected that she was a spy of some sort. However, after observing her long enough, he ruled out that possibility and gathered that she was for some reason interested in him.

One day he flat out told her that he was incapable of reciprocating the feelings that she had for him. In hindsight, it was somewhat cruel to say such things but he thought that she'd be better off writing him off as a lost cause. She completely ignored what he said and the two of them went back to their regular routine. He would buy produce and organic materials from her and she would try to get him to open up everytime they spoke.

He didn't know how or when for that matter but he was soon starting to help her load and unload her cart for her stand. He even returned to her farm with her and helped around the house. As he did this, memory flashes of his first family ran through his mind. He could see the mother of his only son laughing and smiling with him as he attempted to fix something in their house. While he was a brilliant mind and was quite physically capable, he was dismal at repairs. He made an ugly mess out of his first home and it took time for him to get better at making repairs.

His attempts on Haruna's farm were quite successful and allowed him a small smile to which she caught and commented that she'd never seen him smile before. They then began to talk late into the night and before he could excuse himself, she offered him a bed to sleep for the night. He still didn't know why he agreed but he did remember the nightmare that made him scream and leap up off the bed with his hand around her throat.

* * *

_He was rushing through a forest like a man possessed, the smoke that was created from the flames was his destination. He had thought that he was careful, that everything in his past was behind him but now it was hunting him. He followed the trail of claw marks left on trees as well as corpses as he ran. He prayed to God and anyone who would listen that he would make it in time. _

_He sprinted past the burning buildings looking for one in particular. A shrill whistle filled the air that momentarily made him lose focus as something rushed past him. Even though it was in a haze of black dust, he could never forget those empty red eyes. The silver glint that flew after the eyes went out of the village they were in. _

_For a moment, he expected the glint and red eyes to come back, after all, he was its target but it kept going. _

_Forgetting it for the moment, he sprinted toward his original destination and when he arrived at the house, his knees buckled. The head that had a peaceful expression on her face made tears leak from his eyes. Hopelessly, he crawled over and cradled her head in his lap as he wailed into the night sky. He was afraid to look over to her body, but for some reason he did and noticed that she was cradling something in her arms. _

_Hope flared in his chest as he quickly made his way over and saw that the young boy was still breathing. As gingerly as he could, he removed the boy from his lover's body and with the head and boy in his arms, he ran. He could hear shouts coming from behind him, apparently Wrath had reported he could find his target. _

_As the man ran, he swore to himself that he would at least get his son out of here alive. He failed the mother of his children but he would not fail his two boys. He could only do so much with Shahbaz but he hoped that his oldest would grow up valuing family above all else. His youngest son in his arms, Rahim, he never actually met until today. Circumstances forced the two boys to be separated, he kept telling Shahbaz that soon he would meet his little brother and that it was his job to always look after him. _

_His oldest was very happy to know he had a little brother and promised to always look after him. He hoped that their mother had told Rahim of him and Shahbaz so when awakened, he wouldn't be too devastated to learn he lost his mother. He would do right by the two of them, he may have been a monster but the least he could do was be there for his boys. _

_He ran faster and faster into the forest, the sounds of people behind him faded and when his surroundings were dead quiet did he finally stop running. He checked around him to see that he was in a clearing with trees all around. From what he remembered of the terrain, he was maybe a few miles away from the village. It gave him enough time to do as much as he could for the mother of his children. _

_Placing Rahim against a tree, he dug a grave for the woman's head and buried it. He gathered two sticks and made a cross while etching a name into the wood. _

"_Dawn… I'll protect the two of them…"_

_As he turned to collect his son and keep moving, he stopped cold when he was met face to face with Talib of the Tainted Wisdom. The alchemist's red eyes were hidden by their ever present glasses that somehow always caught enough light to conceal his eyes. He was idling tapping Rahim's head seemingly trying to rouse him from unconsciousness. His tone was conversational as well as somewhat exasperated like he was tired of explaining the same thing over and over. _

"_Did you really think you could hide from Father?"_

* * *

Garret had a tight grip on Haruna's neck as he only saw Talib staring back at him with his hand on his youngest son. The man wouldn't let that monster take any more from him and was going to squeeze the life out of his indifferent red eyes. The farm girl's eyes began to bulge as the man pinned her against the bed and tightened his grip on her. She tried to speak but all that came out were gasps that he totally ignored.

It wasn't until she slapped him with the last bit of her strength did he snap out of it and instantly let her go. He watched her cough and try to force more air into her lungs as he looked at her from the side. He couldn't bring himself to offer any assistance with her trying to get her breath back and schooled his expression into an emotionless one.

That seemed to be the wrong call as she whirled on him in anger and slapped him again. The blow didn't hurt as much as it stung his heart as she had tears in her eyes from almost being choked to death. She instantly demanded an explanation which he was reluctant to give but finally caved in after she started to rant on him.

He told her everything in a detached tone of voice, like he wasn't there or that he actually cared. He tried to omit any details that suggested that he was in fact there but Haruna saw through all of his lies and made him tell the whole truth. He always wondered what made him tell her everything from what he is to what had happened to him. He half expected her to kick him out of her home and call the guard on him but surprisingly, she accepted the explanation but was still pissed that he almost killed her.

This led to weeks of them being somewhat awkward around one another. When her initial anger wore off and concern replaced it, she tried to get him to come see her more. However, he regressed back into his emotionless state and remained detached. Haruna could easily tell that Garret was trying to push away the hurtful feelings that he kept bottled up and sooner or later they would explode for all to see.

It took her a year of them seeing each other before he finally snapped one day when she asked where his Father was now. The question instantly brought back what happened after that night and what happened when he saw his two boys again years later.

He didn't recognize them at all, Shahbaz ruthlessly slaughtered his opposition while Rahim was so focused on remaining perfect that whenever he killed his opponent, he'd check himself for any wrinkles on his clothing. It was like killing for them became as insignificant as breathing, there was no regret in their body language and they didn't seem to care that they were killing fellow soldiers.

He wanted to speak with them and ask what happened to them but he never received the chance. They were already off to war. Shahbaz had changed his name to Pride which Garret already knew what that meant and despaired that his oldest was gone. Rahim had dedicated his life to finding his mother's killer and destroyed anything that stood in his way.

Whether that be friend or foe.

When Garret learned that Rahim was killed in battle and that a new Wrath had been made using his son's body. He instantly broke down and screamed toward the heavens.

When all of the memories of what happened after rushed into his mind, Garret broke down and began to cry. He kept apologizing to Dawn over and over that he failed in protecting his family and that the two boys that he promised would have bright futures were turned into monsters. Haruna watched him break down and comforted him well into the night and into the morning. After that moment of weakness, he allowed his feelings to actually surface and a few years later, the two of them had a daughter and were a loving family.

Garret made sure to make time for his daughter, he never wanted her to ever doubt that he loved her with all of his soul. He didn't want history to repeat itself and for the most part he was happy that she felt comfortable enough to walk into his room and ask him anything. Fortunately, with her getting older, she felt that his room was a place that he liked to think in and shouldn't be interrupted. So she very rarely came inside this room unless it was for something important.

He was glad she didn't because he still hadn't explained in detail what the Seven Deadly Sins as well as the guard outside had to do with him. For now, he needed to focus on making countermeasures for Wrath just in case Queen Elsa couldn't control him. So far the only thing that Garret could think of was completely removing the demon's core as well as all the black dust in his body. Such a procedure would take time and for Wrath to actually hold still long enough for him to complete his task.

The odds of that happening were slim to none, so he was still trying to come up with a plan. While he had no intention of betraying Elsa, he still wanted to be prepared for the possibility that Wrath might have its own agenda and could just decide to do as it pleased. He couldn't risk that so he needed to have contingencies.

A knock on his door interrupted his train of thought as he got out of his chair and opened the door to see his daughter looking up at him. "What is it Luna?"

The girl fidgeted for a moment before pointing toward the front of the house. "The guard said that you are needed at the castle."

Garret smiled and patted his little girl on the head to reassure her as it seemed she thought he was in some kind of trouble. In his mind though, he wondered what Queen Elsa had decided in terms of his offer.

* * *

Elsa was pacing in her study as she waited for word of Mr. Sobel's arrival. She pondered his offer for two full days as well as conducting damage control over what everyone in the throne room had heard. They had all asked who that man was and what the two of them were speaking of. She replied that Mr. Sobel was a friend of her father and that he had information that concerned her powers.

She hoped that would placate their questions and keep them from making any attempts to speak with the man. The guards she assigned to the post of watching him were ordered to not ask him any questions or interact with him. They were to just observe him and if he made any suspicious moves then they were to report back to her immediately.

As she thought for two days on what to do with Mr. Sobel, she reluctantly came to the decision that she would hide the fact that she spoke with him. That meant she needed to gather everyone who was present that day in the throne room and swear them all to secrecy. It was a tough decision on her part and she only made it after some heavy consideration.

The way Edward singlemindely focused on finding the man was unnerving to her and she was afraid of what he would do if the two of them met. As long as she known him, he had an _intense _hatred for the man who made him what he was. After being told that Talib was assassinated, she was somewhat disturbed that the young man said that he was satisfied knowing he was dead now.

Like he wished that he was the one that did but didn't care as long as the man was dead.

She didn't want to see what would happen if he had the opportunity to end the man's life. It wasn't that she didn't trust him, he showed that he was able to keep his possessive feelings from showing whenever a royal would ask for her hand. She just didn't want to bring him pain by having him face the man who he blamed for most of the pain in his life.

A knock on her door made her push the thoughts of the young man out of her mind as Hector walked in. She knew that he was reporting to the council during her meeting with Mr. Sobel so he had no idea who the man was. The blonde wanted to keep it that way since she didn't want to give the council any ground to crucify Edward.

"Your Majesty, the ambassador's ship has returned."

Elsa blinked, she had not expected that. While she hoped that they would return soon so that they would be safe, she didn't expect that they would come right as everyone but her was gone. She shook her head and nodded before walking out the room with her personal guard at her heels. Mr. Sobel could wait for a while, show him that he wasn't her top priority. She was more concerned with Grace at the moment and the situation that was in the Southern Isles.

Hector already had a carriage waiting for them with armed guards flanking them. The blonde had wondered why he felt the need for the extra security but she let him do what he thought was necessary. She knew that while he may not be loyal to her, he was loyal to Arendelle, so her death would be a blow to his home. He took his job seriously despite the general opinion of him being a cocky self absorbed man who had more flings with women than any decent man would admit.

He opened the door for her and allowed her in before closing it behind her and taking a seat next to the carriage driver. Elsa felt the carriage lurch forward as she looked out the small window and waited until she arrived at the harbor. The people who passed her by waved at her which she returned albeit a little shyly. She was still amazed that her people had so easily forgiven her for the winter that she caused and actually liked her. The few times that Anna would bring children from the orphanage into the castle to play with her, they were all excited to see her and would ask that she do the magic.

It warmed her heart that people weren't afraid of her as she was of herself. It also made her vow that she would always do right by them and do everything in her power to protect them. She put the people's needs before anything else, that included political advantages as well as military advancement. Arendelle was small and hadn't seen a war in quite some time, her father had confided in her that communication and understanding was better than conflict and death so he wasn't too concerned with their military might.

It may have seemed weak in the political sense but to her it was empowering to know that her father would rather talk than fight. It's what made herself somewhat of a pacifist. She would rather never resort to violence and would always try to hear both sides of a potential conflict and find common ground between them. It was ironic that she happened to be born with power that could in theory force any enemy to bend to her will. Despite that sentiment, she tried to make it clear that her true power lied in her ability to resolve conflict without bloodshed.

It's what made her dread the answer she was about to receive from Grace as the harbor came into view. If the Southern Isles were indeed invaded, as per her agreement in the alliance she was in, she was duty bound to send support to the kingdom. While she did feel that the people of the Southern Isles shouldn't suffer under the rule of a foreign kingdom, she also felt that things should be able to be solved diplomatically.

If she could go and negotiate the release of the Southern Isles and stave off war then she was more than willing to do so, no matter how dangerous it may have seemed.

The carriage came to a stop as Hector hopped down from his seat and opened his door for Elsa to walk through. The blonde walked along the edge of the harbor until she was at the dock that the ambassador's ship would be docking in. As the ship grew closer and closer, she quickly scanned over the vessel looking for anything that indicated that they were attacked. So far the ship seemed to be in perfect condition but the woman knew that she shouldn't hold her breath.

The gangplank lowered as Grace appeared seemingly unharmed and bowed to her ruling sovereign. "Your Majesty, I have returned to report that my mission in assessing the state of the Southern Isles has been completed."

Elsa took a quick headcount of the men on the ship as well as the state of the ambassador's bodyguards. So far they all looked to be there and not injured in any way. Her heart began to flair with hope that perhaps things weren't as bad as she had been dreading.

"It's good to have you back Ms. Stillwater, I hope that you come bearing good news."

Grace's face betrayed nothing of what she was thinking but the slight pause she took to gather her words formed a heavy weight in the pit of the Queen's stomach. "...The Southern Isles is currently not under military occupation your Majesty..."

Elsa let out a breath that she wasn't aware she was holding at the good news. If the kingdom wasn't being attacked then there was no reason to send troops over to reclaim as per the alliance obligation to help one another. She could send letters to all the alliance members and assure them that there was still peace.

"That is great news Grace, I thank you for traveling there and confirming what really happened. You must be tired, please take some time off to enjoy…" The taller woman raised a hand interrupting the Queen which made everyone widen their eyes a little bit.

"I wasn't finished. The Southern Isles may not be under military occupation, however the royal line have all been assassinated. The one who sits the throne now is Hans, who knew that his brothers were all killed and said that Weselton came to his aid to return to his home and save it from an invasion that was taking place." Elsa's eyes widened as she looked somewhat slack jawed at what she heard.

_Hans is the new King of the Southern Isles?!_

Her first reaction was to go into instant panic mode. She wanted to send all of her guards out to find Anna and Kristoff then bring them back here in case the King had plans for them. She also wanted scouts to begin patrolling the waters between here and the Southern Isles in case an invasion fleet was coming their way. She wasn't aware that people were calling her until a hand lightly grasped her shoulder and shook her.

"Your Majesty, forgive the disrespect but I believe it would be more productive if you calmed down." Elsa looked up to see Hector with a blank expression on his face as he removed his hand and put them behind his back. The blonde agreed and took a breath before she turned back to Grace who was glancing at her personal guard before snapping her eyes back to the Queen.

"Thank you Hector. Grace if you would return to the castle, I would like you to give me a detailed account on everything that happened while you were there."

"Of course, your Majesty. There is however one more thing that needs to be addressed." The older woman leaned in to whisper to the blonde so no one around would hear what they were saying. She explained that Hans accused Blackdust of sending one of their men to assassinate the royal line and had multiple witnesses see someone with that uniform almost killing the now King.

Elsa's eyes slid over to the men from Blackdust who were helping unload the supplies. She couldn't really see Alrick sending men to assassinate a few Princes from the Southern Isles while having a rather threatening note left for him at the scene of a morbid murder. One might think that due to Hans trying to kill his son and fiancee during his attempt at the throne again may have provoked him to issue a kill order on the Prince. That theory didn't hold much weight since Alrick knew that the Southern Isles were part of the alliance and that he had no reason to kill the other Princes. Ahimoth likely wouldn't make a move like that considering he chose to leave instead of staying and possibly getting the invitation to the Winter Solstice Gathering rescinded due to his behavior.

Perhaps the remnants of the rogue army assassinated the other Princes. That held water as that was what they thought happened to Albert. If Hans was in league with that rogue element who were thought to be under Father's command then things were more dire than she thought.

First thing's first though. She needed to protect her kingdom from Hans who has already shown an interest in it twice. He may have wanted a kingdom of his own but the blonde couldn't get the sickly feeling out of her gut that he was planning something for them. Perhaps she could inform her allies and call for a vote that the Southern Isles be excommunicated on the charge of being ruled by a King who tried to take a foreign kingdom by force and likely murdered his royal line.

"I see, we will send a letter to Blackdust and give them a chance to explain themselves. Part of the arrangement that included this protective detail was that they would be named formal allies of Arendelle if they guaranteed their safety, which they did. If they truly are the party responsible for such an act then they will be judged by the majority of our allies but if they are not and are being framed then they should be allowed to plead their case."

Grace nodded as she followed Elsa to the carriage and hesitated to get it when Hector opened the door for them. The two of them shared a gaze for a moment before she walked in and he closed the door behind them. The ride back to the castle was quiet and allowed Elsa time to think more on what she would say to the other kingdoms. While they were all aware that Hans made an attempt on her life, this was still considered a private matter between two kingdoms. There was no guarantee that the King would strike against Arendelle who is now an ally of his kingdom so the alliance wasn't duty bound to respond.

Even if Weselton did become an ally of the Southern Isles, it would still be a private matter as long as they made no move against the alliance. If Hans could prove that he was willing to play by their rules and be a contributing member then the odds of him being removed were very low.

If she was being honest with herself, Elsa likely wouldn't have stuck her nose in another kingdom's affairs since she was determined to be the neutral party. However with that particular man sitting on a throne, having an army at his beck and call, _and _had interest in killing her when she was kidnapped, the blonde couldn't stop herself from worrying. She really wished Anna was here, not just because she wanted to make sure that the redhead was safe. It was also because her sister always had a unique perspective of matters and had a way with people that helped them agree with her.

If it got out that Hans had tried to kill Anna again then there would be many willing to rush to her defense since she made plenty of friends during balls as well as previous Gatherings.

They arrived at the castle and went inside where Elsa led Grace toward her study when Kai walked up to her and bowed. "Your Majesty, Mr. Sobel is here and is waiting in your study."

The blonde's eyes widened as she stopped in her tracks. She had forgotten about Garret! She called him earlier to give him an answer on what he proposed but got distracted with the Southern Isles. The Queen knew she couldn't let more people hear whatever came out of that man's mouth so she walked up to Kai and whispered to him.

"Alright I want you to hurry ahead and gather Mr. Sobel then tell him to wait in the library. Also please have two guards stand watch over him to make sure he doesn't speak to anyone."

The portly mad nodded as he walked away briskly to sneak the man out of the Queen's study. Elsa turned back to Grace and Hector who both narrowed their eyes at the mention of someone else being in the study but remained silent. She motioned for them to follow her as she walked slower to give Kai more time to do what he was tasked to do. By the time they made it to her study, the blonde was pleased to find that it was empty.

Taking a seat behind her desk, Elsa folded her hands together and began to go over in detail with Grace on what happened in the Southern Isles. The older woman explained what she saw as well as gave a few hypotheses of her own that Hans wasn't acting alone. Hector threw in his own opinions as well as assessments that assured the Queen that even if they wanted to invade, the recent battle on their shores likely depleted their manpower. This gave them time to reach out to the other kingdoms and come up with a few responses.

After a brief talk and hashing out a few ideas, the three came to a conclusion of only asking the most friendly of alliance members for help and their confidence in voting to remove the Southern Isles from the alliance. Elsa also included Blackdust since they would likely be accepted formally soon. With all of that figured out, the blonde dismissed Grace and Hector then proceeded to the library to speak with Mr. Sobel.

The man was peering through some historical tomes when he heard her walk in and he executed a smart bow as she closed the door behind her leaving her alone with him. "I take it you've come to a decision, Your Majesty?"

"Yes, I've come to tell you that I accept your proposition of allowing you to stay here in exchange for information concerning Father. There are however, some conditions I would like to inform you of."

"Name them, please. No matter what they are I'm sure they're reasonable."

"First, you will remain under supervision and not be allowed to visit the castle without my permission. Second, you will not speak to the Princess nor her husband unless I'm in the room. Finally, you will _not _interact with Edward under _any_ circumstances."

"What if he decides to interact with me?"

Elsa narrowed her eyes. "He won't."

"But if he does, then what am I supposed to do?"

The blonde truly didn't have an answer, she still remembered the threat that Garret made concerning his family. It was what a father was expected to do but she didn't know if he was being genuine. She might have to speak with them to learn if he truly is what he says he is. The man seemed to think that Edward would kill them as payback for making him what he was today, but Elsa immediately shot that possibility down.

The man she loved would _never _kill innocent people voluntarily for the sake of revenge. As for Wrath, even though he may have done so in the past, she could tell that he wasn't a monster and likely wouldn't do it again unless ordered to. She had faith that the two of them could fight off Father's influence when it came time to so the notion of them killing Garret's family was an impossibility in her mind.

"Your family will remain safe, they are citizens of my kingdom and I protect my subjects. Edward knows this and respects the decency of human life as well as abhors senseless slaughter, I can guarantee that he won't harm your family."

The man made a face like he somewhat believed her but had his doubts. When she dismissed him saying that she expected detailed reports and information concerning Father as well as associates, abilites, and important locations, he turned to say one more thing before he left.

"It's nice to see that you have so much faith in Edward, however even before Wrath, Rahim would go to any lengths to have his revenge. I'm sure you can see my concern for my family when you consider how desperate he was to kill Wrath. Now that he is the very thing he hated for so long, who do you think he blames now for that predicament?"

Elsa wanted to say that he shouldn't have messed with his son's body but that was an insensitive thing to say. Especially considering that he had a point. She wouldn't tell the young man this but the blonde was relieved to know that Rahim was a distant memory. The tales she heard from Edward were unnerving in the fact that Rahim kept moving forward with his single minded quest for blood. There hadn't seemed to be an ounce of doubt or regret in any of his actions that were described to her. Seeing the genuine fear and worry in Garret's eyes more or less confirmed her line of thought.

If Rahim was alive, then he would probably be out looking for Garret Sobel's blood.

The question that she never wanted an answer to was if he would be willing to cut down another wife and child to get what he wanted? From an emotionless and terrible point of view, it would be fitting that Garret lose what he made Rahim take from others, but that wasn't right. Killing someone else, never brought anyone back from the grave.

Even with Talib's attempts at playing with the dead, Rahim was still dead.

And Elsa didn't know why that was a comfort to her.

* * *

Anna was bouncing with her usual unmitigated joy as the Captain of their ship said that they would be arriving back in Arendelle in three days. The last few days were quite fun for her, she had managed to do quite a lot in those days. She explored several towns as well as enjoyed a few festivities. She even got to climb a mountain.

All while having her husband by her side to enjoy it with her.

_Husband…_

It still made the redhead's stomach fill with butterflies when she remembered that she was _married. _While they may have seemed like an odd couple, they fit together so well. It was either they had the exact same thought or two totally opposite ones. She was fast and furious while he was slow and calm. She could easily be a party all on her own while he could be the relaxation after it.

The days they spent together were like a dream, she actually couldn't remember a time she was asleep. It was just one constant fun experience after another. Sure Kristoff definitely spent time sleeping on their way to somewhere or in the bed they shared. He didn't seem to mind trailing behind her during some of their adventures even if he was dead on his feet. She remembered once they actually bobsled down the mountain they went up on. She loved it while he promptly passed out when they finally hit the bottom. She couldn't help but laugh when she remembered when she first met him and he said that him and Sven liked going fast.

Speaking of Sven, the redhead didn't have the heart to tell Kristoff that he couldn't bring his best friend so she allowed the reindeer to come. Contrary to belief, Sven coming made the trip even better. Whenever the mountain man was too exhausted to do anything, the reindeer would spend time with Anna and the two of them really bonded. She could even get a better idea of what he was saying just by going off his expressions. While she would _never _talk for him, she would always talk outloud to him and have decent conversations.

_Maybe more so than with my own husband. _

Then there was the sex.

Yes, one lovely thing about their honeymoon was that they could have sex whenever they wanted to. Anna's boundless energy definitely transfered over to their bedroom antics and tired out Kristoff to the point that she could get her hair fixed before he woke up. She could remember the first time they did the act and the ice harvester woke up to her mess of her hair. Surprisingly he didn't say anything about it, he wanted to, judging by the way he kept looking at it but he kept his mouth shut.

Sven was wise enough to sleep far enough away that if they did entertain themselves, he couldn't hear them. One day it occurred to her that she never asked if the mountain man wanted kids. When she brought it up with him, he said that he never really thought about it and honestly didn't know the answer to it. He hasn't been around most people and he still thought reindeer were better than people except for everyone he knew in Arendelle of course. He said that he really wouldn't know the first thing about raising a baby but he said it would be nice to have a family with her so he was willing to try if she wanted to.

She herself had to admit that she didn't know how to raise a baby as well. While she knew the essentials like cleaning, bathing, feeding, and nurturing, she was clueless after that. Her usual plan of just going for it and using the power of love did cross her mind but she really didn't want to mess up her child's life. They resolved to research more when they returned to Arendelle.

Anna missed her sister and hoped that Ed and everyone else was looking after her. While Elsa had slowed down her working pace, she had a bad habit of shouldering everything. Hopefully Ed helped her shoulder her burdens, especially after how close they seem to be getting. She had seen them together during her wedding and they looked so happy with each other. The redhead spied on them for a moment and hoped she'd catch them kissing but all they did was ice skate. It was ok though, as long as the two of them were happy then she was ecstatic.

Today, she and Kristoff were boarding a ship to return to Arendelle that would be a three day trip. She wasn't really looking forward to doing nothing on the ship but luckily she made a friend with this woman who was heading to Arendelle as well. The two of them kicked off quite well as the woman had plenty of stories to share as well as interesting facts that blew the redhead's mind that someone knew. She also got along with Kristoff and Sven quite easily. She was even able to give the ice harvester some suggestions for making his runs up the mountain easier.

Anna was the last to get on the ship and immediately made her way over to the back of the ship where Kristoff and Sven were sitting next to their new friend.

"Hey Mary! What are you reading today?"

The woman put down her book to fix the red head with a simple smile.

"Just reading _Beauty and the Beast_."

"Oh! I think I read that one, is it the one about the monster being loved by the beautiful girl then transforming into a handsome man?"

"Kind of, there are a few versions. What really gets me is that the beast may look monsterous on the outside but on the inside he's a really big sweetheart. Makes me think that when people look good on the outside, they hide what monsters they are on the inside."

Anna frowned as she took a seat next to the dark haired woman. "Yeah my first boyfriend was really handsome but turned out to be a buttface who nearly killed me but that doesn't mean that everyone can be bad. Just look at Kristoff, he may seem a little rough around the edges but he's a big softie."

Kristoff looked up from his seat next to Sven with a blush on his face as he went back to playing his instrument. Mary smiled more at the little interaction before turning her eyes back on her book. The current page she was the page where they had put a picture of what the beast looked like for the reader.

...or it would've if she didn't rip out the page and put a new one in it.

On the page that was supposed to depict the beast, was a drawing of what Pride looked like.

"Well then, I guess we'll see if he truly is a beast even though he is quite handsome." Anna looked confused as she thought Mary was referring to Kristoff who once again looked up and shrugged his shoulders.

But who Sloth was truly referring to was Shahbaz who was now on his way to Blackdust.

* * *

**Hey guys, hope you enjoyed the new chapter, Idk how I feel about this one. I didn't hate it but it threw into question some continuity issues that required me to go back into my fanfic and make sure it lined up to what I'm trying to do. Hopefully ya'll understand a little bit better on who Talib is versus who Garret Sobel is. Their relationship will be defined on a later date and I'm hoping its somewhat soon. Any way please review and stay tuned.**

**NOTE!**

**To the fans asking about the fetal and fatal issues early on, I'm clarifying it was a typo and I think I have corrected them. If you have any other question, comment, or concerns please don't be afraid to ask them. **

**Also to the guest asking if/when Elsa will get preggers, that's something you should not worry about. If I made her pregnant in the next few chapters I might screw her over and have her stabbed in the stomach for shits and giggles, so its up in the air IF she'll ever get to that point. The lemon that was in this fanfic as well as the planned one later will contribute to the plot, not to give her a kid. That's horrible I know but thems the breaks. **


	40. Chapter 40

Big shoutout to IAmWhoIAm317 for the review really appreciated it and I hope things are going better for you.

Also shoutouts to James Haas and victoria cullen35

* * *

Talib had arrived in Weselton earlier this week and already had an audience with the King later today. Before he could go however, he needed to converse with his point of contact and inquire about the status of their task. Sending a letter was too risky as someone could intercept it and ask what they intended to do in this kingdom, so he had to wait until he was physically here. He could've sent Greed but the Sin had other matters to attend to plus there was the matter of his behavior.

He knew that the bandit leader had plenty of his own side projects in the works and while he professed his loyalty to Father, the Sin still had his own agendas. Those that might even endanger the plan. The alchemist scoffed inwardly, Father himself was becoming a thorn in his own plan and had Talib working overtime to tie up loose ends. It annoyed him to no end but as always he bowed and nodded his head.

He really shouldn't be surprised, humans always stood in their own way when trying to achieve greatness. Father should've completed his plan long ago but with that hiccup of a civil war that he was the cause of, they were delayed a few years. He didn't even learn his lesson either and was now chasing after Alrick who was a small stepping stone in the great scheme of things. Even his choice in who would become the Seven Deadly Sins was completely biased as well as illogical.

Four of the seven were bound to fail, that was a certainty. Greed, Lust, Gluttony, and Envy all would fall prey to their human instincts and would force him to deal with them. Sloth was less likely to fail given that she was one of the most logical minds he had the pleasure of molding but still had her shortcomings. Wrath was such a wasted opportunity, he had so much potential just being a tool but then he just _had _to get curious of what was inside a human's mind.

Granted, he did pick one of the most useful ones available. The alchemist would never admit this aloud but he enjoyed molding Rahim and Shahbaz into the fine specimen that they ended up as. The two of them were the only ones that he would have recommended to be Sins. Each of them were perfect for the Sin that they were now and were of great use when properly utilized. Unfortunately certain circumstances had placed complications on the two.

Wrath deserting Father and going to hiding infuriated the alchemist but he was certain he could find the Sin. Pride refused to be controlled and it made him highly unpredictable. Talib would've preferred if he could make the Sin follow him willingly and not educating him due to the inevitability that he _would _find a way to bypass that.

It was only a matter of time before Pride would come after Father with religious anger.

There was also the matter of the other two pillars that he _still _hadn't gotten around to creating. New situations arising forced him to put off focusing on that particular subject. While he _could _complete one at any time, it would be ill advised if he did so without considering all the factors. There was also the fact that he would need to physically be in Blackdust to do so but Father had him _killed _so it would be somewhat difficult to return somewhere one was already considered dead.

_Another problem Father has laid upon my lap to clean up._

Pride would go to his lab and secure all of his research notes and set up his lab so he could continue where he left off. There was no doubt that someone would have found the bodies that he experimented on and know the nature of his research. That made things quite tricky, he still needed time and if the kingdom knew he was still working down in his lab then they would most certainly try to stop him.

_Unless…_

The alchemist shook his head, _that _would be an exteremely stupid idea. Father has been on this Earth for too long to even consider a plan like that. It would definitely fail as well as cause a massive loss of life to the population of quite a few kingdoms. Talib hoped, really and truly hoped that Father wasn't considering it.

Unfortunately though, he almost fulfilled all the steps to launch this plan. He had Asger's body, spies in Blackdust that were unsatisfied with the current ruling monarch, and the military might to launch such an operation.

Fortunately though, Alrick was still surrounded by his Mystic Guard while he visited a neutral kingdom and without him, the plan couldn't come to fruition.

Talib opened the door to an inconspicuous building and walked into the basement. After traversing some hidden stone stairs, he arrived in a cavern where he could see someone looking through some reports.

"How are things coming Mr. Lind?"

The mentioned man stopped reading before turning around to face Talib with the same exact face and glasses with a smile on his face.

"Everything is proceeding right on schedule. My contacts have been informing of each kingdom's movements as well as trade routes. With our mutual friend in the Northern Isles we should have a complete network throughout the land."

"That's good to hear, I take it you are aware of the new leadership in the Southern Isles."

"More than aware, while I'm still skeptical about that child leading the kingdom, he is easier to manipulate. You just have to make sure that he doesn't get overzealous in his grudge against Arendelle. We both know that if he moves too soon then he is bound to fail and there goes another spring of opportunity."

Talib sighed in agreement. It was refreshing to hear another logical mind coming to the same conclusion. Even if they were essentially the same mind, it was nice to hear it from another person.

"Well if Greed follows my instructions then things should go in our favor. I will be heading his way after my business here is concluded."

"Greed huh…" The other man with the same face as the one he was talking to picked up a notebook before handing it to Talib. When the alchemist read the handwriting, he looked back up with a bored expression.

"Why is it that you feel the need that I read over how Ian Cavaliere died?"

"I'm just reminding you that Greed _was _a human when you made him into what he is. One that lost a significant amount and tried to force you into telling him where Wrath was."

"I remember, I also remember educating him and making sure that he not do something as foolish as that again."

"Yes you did, however, his recent failure in Arendelle was most intriguing. That idiot's Prince's attempt on the Elemental there was sloppy, even if it was his plan, Greed should've known better. He was wise to pull out when he did, but what bothers me is the fact that Envy disobeyed an order to retreat _and _was captured. We both know that Envy was more than a match for that Elemental, he's a hunter and had any tool at his disposal to capture her. The rumors in Arendelle suggest that a stranger was able to combat the Queen's kidnapper and capture him. Greed already confirmed that Envy captured the Queen and that Ahimoth wasn't anywhere near her to rescue her so it must've been someone else. Someone who could stand toe to toe with a Sin and live to tell the tale."

Talib narrowed his eyes as he growled to himself for not considering the matter more intently instead of filing it away as another failure.

"So what are you suggesting?"

Mr. Lind shrugged his shoulders as he adjusted the glasses that concealed his red orbs. "I'm suggesting that since there are no new rumors of another Elemental in Arendelle and the fact that Ahimoth left the very next day after such a battle without taking time to rest suggests that he didn't want to stay. The lieutenant turned Prince may be an oaf but he's smarter than an average human, he knows how important that Alrick gets his kingdom in an alliance. For him to leave after spending one day there suggests some emotional aspects. That in conjunction with Greed stealing the armor that belonged to Rahim who is now Wrath points to one possibility."

"That Wrath is in Arendelle?"

Mr. Lind turned back around and continued to look over more reports as Talib considered the possibility. Wrath had disappeared quite some time ago and given how fast he could move, he could cover quite a bit of distance if he replenished his abilities along the way. The men that were with Wrath reported that he went crazy before dashing out of the vicinity too quickly for them to follow, yet he left no bodies in his wake.

That was certainly odd. While Wrath didn't go on random killing sprees like Envy did, he would be aware that he needed to kill to keep abilities in peak form. If he truly wanted to run from Father then killing the soldiers would've been smart as it would've delayed then knowing that he deserted them and that he would have more energy to use.

It would explain how Envy was defeated if Wrath was in Arendelle. The furious Sin was more than a match for the jealous Sin due to their combat capacity. It would also explain why Greed has been spending so much time in Arendelle, Ian's desire for revenge appealed to his avarice more than the desire to see Father's plan through.

The only flaw in the theory was the other self he had in Arendelle that was keeping an eye on Elsa should've reported that Wrath was there. The alchemist remembered reading the reports and was satisfied knowing that the Queen wasn't an issue but that changed during her coronation. To have the ability to freeze her entire kingdom in a single night was troubling news indeed. News that should've been reported to them sooner rather than later. It threw into question the credibility of his other self in Arendelle.

Talib tried to remember his last interaction with his other self from Arendelle and noted that it had been more than ten years ago. Father had dispatched his other selves to their destinations as well as giving them their tasks and parts for the plan. The one sent to Arendelle was probably the most quiet of all of them and preferred to work in total silence alone. He was chosen to go to Arendelle and watch the Elemental because out of all of them, he was less likely to be noticed. If he had left out some information on her then that would be a problem and would require the alchemist to make an assessment of her abilities himself.

The sound of footsteps coming down the stone stairs had both men whirling in the direction of the basement door. Standing there was Gluttony who raised an eyebrow at seeing two copies of the same man in the hidden room. "Father didn't say that he would be sending another one of you here."

Talib narrowed his eyes as he placed his hands behind his back and clenched his fist in quiet anger. "He also didn't mention that _you _would be here in Weselton Gluttony, I thought I assigned you and Lust a different task."

The air in the room began to get heavy as Gluttony was aware that the alchemist was not happy to see him here. His face was calm yet his heartbeat wasn't as he nervously swallowed when the glint in the man's glasses disappeared to see his eyes burning with rage. "You did, however Father told us to disregard it and come here to move up the plan."

"_Us?" _

Two more sets of footsteps sounded throughout the basement as Lust appeared with her arm curled around another man's arm. Her face was slightly annoyed as well as disgusted as she couldn't believe that Father made her interact with the man next to her. She and Gluttony were sent here to capture a key piece for the plan to invade Arendelle. One would've thought the King was the piece however Lust knew that the royal was married thus he _should _love his Queen and her abilities would be useless.

However, it wasn't the King she was targeting.

The Duke of Weselton was still a small conniving weasel of a man that had absolutely no love for anything. He was an easy target to capture and the lengths that Lust had to go disgusted her yet she had completed her task and the little man was firmly under her control. All it took for her to have in the palm of her hand was her fluttering her eyelashes. Even without using her hypnotic stare, she had him around her finger and felt that it was enough but Father wanted them to be sure that she had him.

So she slept with him to have time to adequately alter his mind to the specifications needed.

The Duke would carry out his assigned task and would have no memory of the four people in the room with him. Personally, she wanted to kill the little man when she caught a glimpse in his mind and it disgusted her to see someone of his standing taking advantage of so many people including less fortunate women. That however would attract too much attention so she couldn't indulge in her desires.

The lascivious Sin turned her head to the alchemist and presented the Duke who was still firmly focused on her breasts. "Father told us both to come here and use this sniveling excuse of a dog to accelerate the process of an army getting sent to invade Arendelle."

"I see, tell me, did Father give you an approximate time where he envisions this invasion to take place?"

"He said he wanted it to take place in a month when he spoke with us."

Talib _really _didn't want an answer to this but he had to ask. "When was the last time you spoke with him?"

"Three weeks ago, the army is already on its way to the Southern Isles where they'll rendezvous with Greed and his bandit faction and combined with the kingdom's army, they'll march on Arendelle."

Talib closed his eyes for a moment and took a breath. Mr. Lind promptly sighed and left the room entirely leaving the two Sins alone with the alchemist. The two of them said nothing and didn't make a move as they were both aware of the bomb in front of them. Usually the alchemist was above losing his temper but it seemed that today he wasn't in full control of it. Rationally they knew that he wasn't entirely angry at them for following Father's orders so logically he wouldn't vent on them yet they both knew that Talib had moments where logic wasn't at the forefront of his mind.

"Lust, tell the Duke to leave the room and wait upstairs."

Her heart picked up at the soft way the alchemist spoke but nevertheless she obeyed his orders and had the man walking up the stairs. When they heard the door close, silence once again fell into the basement. Gluttony took a few steps and stood in front of Lust as Talib slowly took his glasses off before placing them on the table.

"I know that I shouldn't be angry with the two of you since you were only following Father's orders yet you should both remember that _I'm _the one who made you. Thus _I _am your father. Your first instinct is to do what _I_ tell you. It seems that you all need some discipline to remember that simple little fact."

Gluttony had black dust swirl around him as he prepared for what was about to happen. He knew that he had absolutely no chance against the alchemist but thought that if he charged the man then Lust would get off easy. It was James's instinct to always protect Rin and Gluttony didn't feel like changing that aspect of himself. Lust looked at him and grabbed his arm shaking her head trying to dissuade him but when Talib turned them around to fix them with his red eyed stare, she forgot how to breathe.

"Don't worry, I won't mess with your minds, you two aren't a risk to the plan. However, you _will _learn that your fear of Father pales in comparison to your fear of _me._"

The Duke of Weselton and Mr. Lind were upstairs minding their own business as they both ignored the screams that he could be heard from the basement.

* * *

Edward heard the snap of another trap being set off as a hail of knives rained on him from all directions. Drawing his weapon, he deflected the first wave of them while dancing through the second before leaping out of the way of the third as he crossed the finish line. The cocky smirk was on his face as he walked by the Captain who had a pocket watch in his hand.

"So how'd I do this time?"

The old man did not seem impressed by the arrogant tone the young man took but nevertheless answered. "You beat your previous score by three minutes." Edward grin got wider as he showed his pearly white teeth off to the Captain.

"So I basically cut your time in half right?"

Stonewell looked up with an annoyed expression before wiping out a knife and cutting a rope that was next to his sitting position. Edward didn't even look up as his right hand shot up to catch a crossbow bolt headed for his head. He wiggled the bolt in his hand mockingly at the attempt.

"Really?"

Only for two more crossbows to nail him in the back.

The Captain watched as the young man cursed as he reached behind him to pull out the bolts and stretch his back to relieve himself of pain. If he was in his usual mood, he would be laughing with a cigar in his mouth but right now something just felt wrong. The two of them had been up here for the last few days where Edward had made great progress using his abilities.

His senses had definitely heightened to the point of detecting threats all around him as well as his reflexes were quick enough to counter them. His strength and coordination had also improved to the point that he was integrating his left arm seamlessly into their spars. So far, the old man hadn't been able to get a decisive win since he was knocked on his ass when they first started. All in all, the trip seemed to be going extremely well.

Yet for some reason, he just couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, _really _wrong.

He debated ending the trip early to return to Arendelle but he had faith in his men as well as the Queen. If something should happen then they would handle it. He also didn't want to go back down until he was _sure _that Edward was completely in control of Wrath. While the preliminary results seemed good, he wanted to make sure that the young man had no more doubts plaguing his mind and would use his abilities to their fullest.

"Hey, there something the matter?"

The Captain looked up from his pensive stare to see Edward looking at him with a searching expression. There was no point in putting baseless worries in the young man's mind while he was focusing on removing his own so the old man decided to keep his thoughts to himself.

"No, that's enough for the day. You go outside and clear your mind, maybe talk to Wrath. I'm going to set up for tomorrow."

Edward narrowed his eyes in suspicion but said nothing as he left the cave leaving the old man alone with his thoughts. As the young man left the Captain stared at his retreating form and frowned.

_I hope it's nothing, but if it's something; you better be ready runt. _

* * *

Edward sat outside on the mountain summit with his legs crossed and his hands on his knees. His eyes were closed with his breathing minimal as he quieted his mind. Before long he was back in the courtyard with Wrath stalking through the rows and rows of weapons.

"_Something is obviously wrong with him."_

The young man scoffed as he took a seat on some old stone steps. "What gave it away, the worried stare or the lack of reaction to me getting to bolts in the back?"

"_You should've seen that coming, I most certainly did."_

"And you didn't feel the need to tell me?"

"_My senses are your senses so as I said before, you should've seen that coming."_

Edward waved the demon off and took a look around the courtyard. Nothing had changed since his last visit here, the old decrepit stone walls were still lined with moss and cracks that came from time. The rows of weapons were all rusted over as well, evident that they were indeed just relics of long ago. After his first visit here, the young man avoided touching any weapons so he wouldn't have to relive how they all died.

While he was on this mountain, he learned to be more accepting of Wrath and the fact that he was just a mindless predator that was pointed in a direction by those in control of him. He didn't exactly _blame _the demon himself anymore but there was still a distance between them. Wrath even reciprocated the treatment, when Edward found out he could return to the courtyard after a couple more tries of clearing his mind, the first thing he noticed was that when you walked into the bounds of the walls, the sky turned pitch black. Absolutely no light could pass through the blackness and he couldn't see the eclipse that overshadowed the reflective surface outside.

The other thing he noticed was that there was now a small bright star in the pitch black sky.

When he asked Wrath what it was, the demon clammed up and simply walked away. He later came to realize that that little star was very significant to the large predator. It was something that he refused to talk about and would remain silent for hours until being willing to speak about a different subject. There were times that Edward would come here and catch the demon staring at the star with its utmost of attention. During these times, Wrath was completely oblivious to everything around him.

The more the young man thought about it, the more he couldn't exactly blame the demon for acting that way. If he was stuck in this eternal blackness for years at a time, he would stare all day at the only source of bright light for long periods of time too. It actually hinted that Wrath was more than what he seemed when they first began speaking to one another.

At first the taunts to get him to let his guard down and lose himself to murderous rage were infuriating to say the least. There were also the warnings that any attempt to rip out the stone would result in that burning sensation and that he would forcefully take control of their body. Those two aspects made Wrath seem like he was a monster but recently the insightful little things he'd say that while at the time he ignored, now made so much sense.

Being up in the mountains as well as being in Wrath's courtyard, showed him the futility of his earlier plan of leaving Arendelle in the hopes of going somewhere he could be alone. No matter where he went, he was going to be Wrath and at any time they could have a power struggle over who controlled the body. Staying in Arendelle was more logical since he had finally found someone who could hold his own against Wrath and could give him time to control himself if things went badly. There was also Elsa being able to freeze him if she got a chance to do so, which he believed after seeing various use of her abilities that she could do so.

If he was being honest with himself, for the first time, he wasn't deathly terrified of a possible encounter with Father. His confidence had definitely gone up, he would only be cocky with the old man since they were the only two people up here. His experience using Wrath's senses as well as his left arm had improved tremendously and he could extend the time he could use them without wasting the little black dust he had inside him.

Speaking of that matter, while Edward agreed that he wouldn't hesitate when it came to combat, he also came to a decision that he also wouldn't kill. He knew that it definitely put him at a disadvantage but he was resolved to not desecrate the dead by killing them and absorbing their anger. He hadn't told the Captain about this because of the possibility of the old man having a fit. He also knew Stonewell would hammer in the fact that he would be at an acute disadvantage which he would have to be very skilled to compensate for it.

"Hey Wrath."

The demon stopped in his examination of each weapon to fix the young man with a stare who was looking up in the sky.

"If there was one thing you could ask for, what would it be?"

The predator looked somewhat confused at the question, he had never been asked something like that before. To be honest, he really didn't know if he had an answer.

"_Why would you want to know?"_

"Because you already know what I want most. You know how far I'm willing to go for her, I'm just curious if you have something like that."

Wrath looked up at the star for a moment before he answered.

"_Perhaps in the future, you'll know what I want most. For now, I suggest you focus on that Ice Queen of yours."_

"It's _Snow _Queen."

* * *

Hans was sitting on his personal flagship as he sailed through the seas toward Arendelle. He had received a letter saying that the man that was in charge of Greed would be late so it would be prudent of him to move ahead with his plan. Threatening Elsa with the information that was in the notebook would buy him time to gather the forces he would need for the invasion.

His fingers twitched in anticipation at the shock on that witch's face when she realized that he was the King of a kingdom in her alliance. That meant that she would be forced to consider him an ally which would get him close enough to stab her in the back regardless of if she suspected him or not.

The only crux of the plan was how that man Edward would take his arrival. While he seemed to be a level headed individual, from what Greed explained, there was a storm of murderous rage inside him that was begging to come out. If the man reacted violently and attacked a King that was in an alliance with Arendelle without provocation then it would be disastrous for Elsa. While Hans had no desire to die a premature death, he could see how advantageous it would be if Edward lost his cool if the two of them met.

He even had a special gift that he was told would all but secure him a definite advantage against Arendelle. Greed had dropped it off before turning into dust and going who knows where as they continued to sail. Getting curious, Hans opened the gift and was confused to see a katana inside the gift. Upon further inspection, he recognized it as the weapon that killed Lars as well as gave him the scar on his face. He wondered how this could possibly give him an advantage but he then remembered the contents of the notebook. If what was in there was true, then if he said the right things to the right people then he would come out ahead big time.

His thoughts were interrupted by the swirling sound of dust that usually meant that Greed was coming. Turning around, he was proven right when the man stepped out from the dust with an annoyed expression on his face.

"What's wrong, you don't look pleased."

The bandit leader hesitated to answer before he decided to just spit it out. "It seems that I've been ordered to accelerate the timetable on the invasion. After you had your talk with the Elemental, you are to return to the Southern Isles to confirm your forces and sail back to invade."

The King's eyes widened as he was lost for words. At first he wanted to invade as soon as possible with the reinforcements that Weselton would provide but when Greed had put a stop to that, it gave the ginger an opportunity to look over his plan. Upon another glance, he realized that, even if he had the manpower, the fact that Arendelle was cordoned off by mountains with the only easy way of transporting troops were by sea meant that Elsa could just freeze the ships as they approached.

He supposed that they could have their troops come through the mountains but that still left the risk that she would just cause another winter. With them in the mountains, they would likely freeze to death quite quickly if she put them in a winter unexpectedly. Perhaps they could've launched surprise attacks in the capitol to distract her then have the ships come in by sea. That plan had the most odds of success but from what intelligence Greed had been gathering, Arendelle had become more alert to suspicious persons.

They needed time to come up with a definite plan to neutralize any advantage that Elsa could give Arendelle or they would be committing troops to the slaughter.

"Wouldn't that be unwise given that I would _just _be leaving and that they would expect some sort of assault from me after threatening them. There's also the fact that since the Southern Isles _is _part of the alliance that protects Arendelle, the other kingdoms would have no choice but to attack my kingdom and we would be crushed."

"It would be unwise but I've been told that certain things have been set in motion to avoid that scenario. I've also been ordered to include my own forces along with your army. As for the Elemental, you will leave her to me. My orders are to detain her until my master can collect her. I would advise that you consider your grudge against her appeased since my master will most likely end her life in a horrifying way after he gets what he wants."

"And what is it that he wants."

"Revenge against a very old enemy."

* * *

In Corona, King Frederic was tapping his throne impatiently as he waited for his men to return from scouting the dam. When his daughter returned, Cassandra had asked to privately speak with him and informed him of the possible threat. As he planned to send a few scouts, the doors to his throne room opened to see only two scouts that went with the Blackdust entourage had returned. They had quickly reported the situation at the dam and said that they would need more than just a few scouts to ensure they even returned.

He had sent quite a few men while putting the kingdom on lockdown, no one could get in or out. He didn't know if Alrick had found the rogue elements he had been looking for but dumping bodies in rivers was not a common practice. The King wanted to ensure that his people were safe first before seeing to a foreign sovereign. The remaining men from Blackdust had requested they be allowed to return to their ship to send a request for backup but was denied until they could get an appropriate grasp of the situation.

It didn't take long as the doors opened up and the scouts he sent out earlier had all returned with a long box being carried by two people. The leader of the group bowed before he began his report. "Your Majesty, we've finished surveying the dam and so far we couldn't locate any of the soldiers that were housed there. We found bodies that showed that there was a conflict but when we searched the tunnels, it was empty. It seemed whoever was amassing at the dam had fled after engaging our visitors."

"Have search parties patrol the surrounding area, the force described earlier would not be able to disappear so quickly without leaving a trail. If we hurry, we might be able to pick up that trail. Also, what's in that box?"

The leader of the scouting party hesitated as he came closer and presented it to the King. "We found this with a note stating that as long as we didn't get in the way of fighting the soldiers from Blackdust, there would be no loss of life on our side. I've already had the contents searched for any kind of traps, it's safe to open but I would suggest you do not."

The King narrowed his eyes as he placed his hand on the latch of the box and slowly pulled it open before immediately shutting it. What was inside made him gag a bit and made him happy that his wife or daughter wasn't in the throne room. "Go wake the Captain and have him double the patrols around the countryside, I want this force found _now. _As for the remaining men from Blackdust, I would ask you to return to your ship and return home immediately."

The few men that remained looked ready to argue that they needed to find their King but was cut off by a hand from the monarch. "I know that you followed your sovereign here and your loyalty to him is admirable, however I'm aware he has a son leading his kingdom right now. I'm sure that he needs to verify the contents of this box to take appropriate action."

The remaining soldiers looked confused as the Coroan scouts turned and presented them the box. The bravest one it seemed simply unlatched the box and flipped the lid off before his jaw dropped as did the others. In the box was their King's double bladed sword that had blood drenched on both ends. That wasn't what made their jaws drop.

It was the decapitated left arm that looked suspiciously like the King's, next to the weapon that made their jaws drop.

* * *

**Well guys the most bothersome thing about trying to keep continuity is the timing. I'm almost losing my mind trying to keep all the chapters to keep flowing together. This chapter I feel was a filler and just helped move things along and wasn't a really story impacting chapter, geez louise. Hope ya'll enjoyed it, I'm gonna try and bust out another chapter before Final Fantasy VII remake comes out. Hopefully I'll be locked up in my room thanks to the Coronavirus that makes the Division games so ironic lol. Anyway please review and favorite the fanfic and stay tuned. **


	41. Chapter 41

**Hey guys, I've been thinking that perhaps I should leave cues for music and such. You know to give more feeling to this wall of text you know, let me know what you think. **

**I'll leave numbers in parenthesis - (), with the start being bolded and the end being bolded as well. That will indicate when the music cue starts and ends. **

**(**1) - (1**) **

**Like so. If you like it pm me or review about it if not then don't be afraid to express it.**

**(1)=Ray of Light, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood**

**Quick shoutout to ****Lightmare852** **Kenzhix** **for the favorite/follow**

* * *

After many hours of training as well as mentoring Stonewell finally deemed that they could return to Arendelle. Edward's progress to learning to accept the full aspects of what his body could do as well as what was inside him made the Captain hopeful that he could fight off whatever influence he would be exposed to. The final days of their training wasn't about just strength of body, it was about strength of mind.

Stonewell had Edward recount every painful detail of what Wrath did that horrified him enough to fear his body being taken over.

Initially the young man refused saying that it was far too painful to bring up the past again but the old man was stalwart in his reasoning that if he couldn't accept and move on from what happened then Father would have a better chance at taking his mind. So Edward explained it in minute detail of what happened while he was meditating and balancing a coin on the tip of his claws.

At first glance, it seemed to be a waste of time as well as ridiculous to balance a simple coin on his claws but then when he started talking the coin fell instantly. Whenever it did, the Captain would tell him to start over from the beginning. After the first time it fell, Edward tried to actively balance the coin on the fine tip of his claw but the more he moved, the faster it fell. After watching him fail a few times, Stonewell decided to explain the purpose of balancing a coin while recounting one of his greatest regrets.

If he could learn to accept what he did totally and completely then he should be able to focus and keep his balance. In battle, the enemy would not be above hitting a sore spot to throw you off balance so they could secure an advantage against you. If someone who made him into what he was today fought against him, they would most certainly use his fears to get the best of him.

And all it would take was a subtle twitch in the wrong direction.

One tiny slip up at the wrong moment could be all that was needed to end someone's life. The coin represented the balance, if he could recount the entire tale of what he did while keeping the balance of the coin on the fine tip on one of his claws then he _should _be able to keep his mind focused if his enemy brought up this particular topic.

It made sense but was easier said than done. Everytime he recounted the story, brief memory flashes would have him flinch just enough for the coin to fall. It was frustrating in the beginning but surprisingly, Stonewell told him that he needed to take his time doing this as this was one of the hardest tasks anyone can ask of another. So after every hour of him failing, the Captain would tell him to take a break and just get his mind straight. No drills, no spars, just the two of them sitting in the cave just staring at the fire.

It took him two full days to finally balance the coin on his claw. Edward wanted to say that it was the result of hard work and determination but it wasn't. What really pushed him in the right direction was the night before he completed his task. He had spent the entire day trying to balance the coin while the Captain went out to hunt for food. By the time the old man returned, it was night time and the young man had let loose a harsh curse as he stared into the flame trying to calm down.

Stonewell said nothing as he walked over with the fruits of his labor over his shoulders and sat down on the other side of the fire in front of the young man and began to prepare their dinner. For a while the two of them said nothing as the older man was still cleaning his kill while the younger one had his head in his hands going through the breathing techniques that he learned. The Captain looked up from his work for a moment before setting it aside and leaning over to grab one of his swords out of his bag.

Hearing the sound of a blade leaving its sheath, Edward looked up to see Stonewell leaning over to grab the dropped coin before setting it on the tip of the very tip of the blade while he balanced the hilt in his hand. It was quite the trick and with no wind blowing into the cave, the old warrior was able to completely balance both the sword and the coin in the palm of his hand.

"Long time ago, before I settled in Arendelle, I was a Commander for one of my homeland's invasionary units. Our main goal was to hit the enemy's numbers as well as their morale. We burned villages, committed assasinations, and kidnapped enemy leaders to torture for information. Back then nothing at all matter to me except the next mission, the next set of orders."

Edward's attention was instantly drawn to the man across from him as he listened to him reminiscent. While the two had known each other, the Captain only spoke of his past when they had that talk in that office once and didn't give any details at all. It was quite jarring to see him choosing to speak now while balancing the coin on a fine tip of a blade that was in the palm of his hand.

"'A good soldier follows orders.' Those were the words I lived by for so long. Whatever they were, I would carry them out. I suppose I did it to prove that I was more than just a 'arrogant, narcissistic, welp that was blessed with skill but no mind to use them.' My father, a retired General in that army, told me that many times. Truth be told, I hated him with all my heart. Not because he insulted me, beat me, or treated me like trash. No, what I hated most about him was that when he lost his leg and was forced to retire, he became a broken shell of what he used to be. He went senile, looking out in the distance seeing phantom enemies coming from him in every direction."

The young man's eyes widened as he considered what Stonewell must have felt seeing his father like that. Having someone rave around seeing ghosts were quite the experience especially if it was one's father. There was also the image gap of seeing someone who was dominant for so long be so weak and frail. Edward was about to say that the Captain didn't have to share this if he didn't want to but his words died in his throat when he took in the entire sight of the man sitting with a neutral expression on his face and still having the coin balanced.

There wasn't the slightest twitch in what he said, he had the absolute focus to tell this as well as keep his balance. So the young man did not stop him as he continued.

"It was quite sad really, the great and powerful General who would say I would never measure up to him was just a broken old man. It drove me to the utter limits of my mind whenever he would be lucid enough to still tell me that I was still weak. So one day, I had enough and killed him when he was having one of his episodes."

Edward's jaw dropped as his mind came to a screeching halt at what he just heard. Stonewell _killed _his father while he was having a post traumatic stress attack?! He couldn't begin to understand what would drive someone to do that to one's own father. Coming from him, that was saying something. He wished for Talib's death many times but if his father was in a broken state like that, then he would probably leave his tormentor to his own demons.

"In my mind, I thought what would hurt more. Him being killed by his own son, or one of the myriad of enemies he had felled in the past coming for him now that he was helpless. I hoped the latter would cause him more pain. Regardless, when the soldiers found his body, I immediately told them that it was me that did it and instead of throwing me in prison, they put me in a unit where the odds of survival were quite low. The Commander of the unit reviewed my file and personally asked for me to be assigned to him. He taught me many things, from fighting to leading. He made me one of the best of the best. I followed him because he told me what I wanted to hear and made me think that I could do whatever I set my mind to."

The coin was still balanced on the blade.

"He took me to many different places and taught me all I could ever need to be what I am today. I was like a son to him, there was nothing I wouldn't do for him at all."

The coin remained balanced.

"Even when he ordered me to kill my wife, I remained a good soldier and followed his order."

The coin was still perfectly balanced.

Edward stopped breathing at the simple way he just said that last sentence. His mind refused to accept that this man in front of him who had looked out and gave him so much advice would do something like kill his own wife. Even Wrath was deathly quiet as the demon's curiosity was piqued when the old man had decided to shed some light on the finer details of his life.

"My Commander had evidence that my wife was a foreign spy and that she had stolen military secrets. I was not made aware of any of this until one day he called me into his office to show my wife had been interrogated. In that brief moment, a vicious storm of anger had overcome me as I wanted to tear the person who laid a hand on my wife. When my Commander told me that he was the one who did so and why, my mind came close to shattering. Normally, his word was all that I needed but I had to hear it from my wife so when I asked she admitted that it was true."

The young man's face grew somber as the Captain continued his story. It was definitely a sorrowful tale and unfortunately, he had a feeling that it would end in a terrible fashion.

"It threw into question everything that happened between us, it made me wonder if she really loved the life we had, or was I just another target for her. My Commander named it my responsibility since she was my wife and to prove that I was not compromised, I was to execute her in front of my fellow soldiers the next day. That night I agonized on what I should do. The soldier in me demanded I do what I was tasked to do but the husband in me argued that she was still my wife and thus I should adhere to my wedding vows and protect her. Eventually, the soldier part of me overpowered the husband in me and I killed her the next morning. I had proved my loyalty and remained a part of one of the strongest forces to ever roam the lands. Unfortunately, fate had different plans."

Despite the calm and neutral way the older man spoke, Edward could tell that this was painful to tell. However, the coin still remained balanced on his blade, so he continued to listen silently.

"We were attacked not too long after and after a period of time, my home was lost. Everything I fought for and cared for had been completely destroyed and burned to the ground. The enemy had taken our actions against them to heart and launched a campaign where no one would walk away from the conflict. They used everything from fire bombs to infected corpses to ensure that we would fall. After crossing the wasteland that was my home, I eventually arrived in Arendelle. Then the rest you could say, is history."

That seemed to be the end of the story as Stonewell remained quiet as he watched the young man take in the tale as well as turn it over in his head a few times. The old man could see the questions that churned in the younger one's eyes even though he didn't ask any. Edward, tried to rack his mind for something to say but still couldn't help but draw his eyes to the coin that _still _remained balanced on the tip of the blade.

For a moment, Edward considered the possibility that Stonewell wasn't human. The man was just impossible sometimes, he smoked his weight in tobacco daily yet he was still one of the fittest men he'd ever met. Even though he was quite old, he still moved with more speed than men in their prime and was beyond wise. The feats he'd seen the old man accomplish in battle were also nothing to sniff at, the unyielding and destructive power that fueled his attacks were focused into insightful and effective precision and purpose. What finally clenched his theory was the mindset of the Captain. _No _human should be able to completely remain calm and balanced after describing such a past, especially considering that the look in his eyes still showed that it was still a painful experience.

"I've learned to accept what had happened in my life and that without it, I wouldn't be the man that I am today. Given the nature of the actions I took, I decided that I had no right to regret them and that all I could do for those who are no longer with us was to continue moving forward. That was the last thing my wife asked of me and I told her I would."

The coin was still balanced.

"But I lied."

The coin finally fell.

"I said before that there was nothing that I regretted when you asked me. That's a lie. There will always be one thing that I regret. Even more than killing my wife, I regret not being able to protect our daughter. She was left alone when her mom was taken away and I told her that I would get her mother back. When I learned she was a spy and was going to execute her personally tomorrow, my wife begged me to put their daughter first. So I did, with her death, my daughter wouldn't be put under suspicion of being a spy and would at least have one parent to look out for her. Yet after everything that happened, she could never look at me as a father again. I failed to protect her and that will always be my greatest regret."

Stonewell finally let the blade tip over so he could grab the handle and place the weapon back into his bag. He could tell that the young man was about to say something, likely some type of condolences but he raised a hand to stop him. Picking up the coin that fell, he held it out to Edward before saying the last thing that he would speak tonight.

"As a soldier, you are expected to carry out the duties you are asked without fail. Sometimes, the things you do separate you from others consider _human, _yet some argue that a human is a naturally violent being who is wholly and totally sinful. Our history more or less proves that theory, we've killed each other more than helped one another. The idea of peace is a fairy tale that we strive for to ignore all the damage we've done or make it up for it."

That particular line of thought ran parallel with what he was taught growing up, how humans were weak creatures. That no matter what good things happened around them, one of them would always regress into their base instincts and commit a sin for self gratification. As a child, it never occurred to him to continue considering this line of thought as it was only a distraction from his goal and it came from a man he hated. Hearing from a man he respected was quite eye opening and made it sink in that perhaps, humans were truly weak creatures.

And if they were weak, what hope did he have when he was less than human?

"In the beginning, Elsa tried to emulate her father and be the ruler that she thought would make him proud but trying to be someone else will ultimately lead to failure. After I told her the failings of her father, she learned that he wasn't perfect yet did his best which is what she is trying to do. She desires to protect and better the lives of her family, both by blood and the bonds she shares with them. To that end, she strives for peace where one could focus on improving life instead of ways to end it. However there are still people out there who would oppose her and try to destroy what she holds dear so she is resolved to fight them. In her lies the power to completely subjugate any man and if applied correctly, she could force her idea of peace on the world yet she does not. One could take her reluctance to do so as being too weak to do what would be 'best' for her kingdom. That if she didn't have the stomach to commit such an act that she is not fit to lead."

Edward _had _thought about how much the blonde could accomplish if she applied her abilities in a different way than what she currently used them for. Given the scope of her power as well as the raw strength that she had that was more than what an average Elemental was capable of, she could in theory do anything that she set her mind to. Such power would tempt many to do what they thought was best. He had heard her concerns of what she would do if her delegation to the Southern Isles was detained. She had only said that she would retrieve them, most would simply destroy their enemy but he knew that all she would do is get her people out of there and focus on a diplomatic approach. While it was most certainly a way of doing things, the darker part of him thought how fruitless it would be if she came up against someone else like him and didn't use the full extent of her power because she feared being a monster.

"I disagree, what you may not have known is that Elsa has almost killed before. Not just her sister, but two of Weselton's men tried to assassinate her in order to end the winter she brought upon us. My men reported that she had one pinned against a wall while she was pushing another out of her castle and would have continued if she wasn't stopped by Hans. Since then, she has expressed that she never wanted to use her abilities in such a way again that while she was fine with defending herself and her people, she wouldn't make any offensive attacks that had the potential of killing someone. It takes strength to not regress into your more primal instincts in time of great stress, Elsa has that strength and it makes me proud to serve under her. In truth, I know myself enough to know that if it came down to it, I would kill anything and anyone that stood in the way of my duties. You are a literal embodyment of the sin wrath, by definition, that should be all that you're capable of. Yet here you are trying to be more, trying to better."

Stonewell reached over the fire without any mind of being burned and jabbed his finger at the young man's chest where his heart was and spoke with a sincere and convinced tone.

"I believe you will be better, better than me. I think you have the strength to stick to your ideals in the face of anything that stands against you. To do that though, you have to accept your past self for what he did and look toward the future to what you _could _be and decide here and now in the present how you plan on moving forward."

Before Edward could say anything, the Captain leaned back into his seat before getting up and moving over to his gear where he laid against it with his arms crossed and his back to the young man. That was generally the pose he took whenever the old man had finally decided to sleep, even when he was asleep, he still had that composed look to him. For the longest time, Edward remained quiet and stared at the Captain's back waiting for him to say anything else but soon accepted that was all he was willing to say.

Truly, the young man didn't know exactly what to think. At first he thought that Stonewell wanted to show him how it was done and that he should be able to do it after some time but the story of his past as well as the added thoughts meant more. It showed that even after accepting what had happened and being better, that the old man still had one regret. One might think that it undermined the entire point of the exercise but to Edward, it made him more resolved to do it. Stonewell was proof that someone like him could be better. That despite his past, he could look to the future. Elsa believed that, so did Anna and Kristoff.

So he would look to the future and do his best to be better.

By the time Stonewell woke up the next morning, Edward had complete balance over the coin and could recount what he did without flinching away at the memory. The Captain then declared that they were done here and that they could pack up their stuff and return to Arendelle. While they packed, the young man attempted to give the coin back to the old man but was told to keep it.

"So I can practice some more?"

"No, it belonged to my father. I took it as a reminder that I would be better. Now I pass it to you in hope that it will remind you to do the same." **(**1)

Edward's eyes widened as he was about to argue that he couldn't accept something like this but Stonewell was already walking down the trail that led down the mountain. The young man looked down at the coin and was just now aware of how old it looked. It was a foreign silver coin with a faded symbol on it that had scratches and nicks all over it and it had clearly lost its shine but to him, it was worth more than any amount of money. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his watch and opened it taking a quick moment to admire the ice before placing the coin inside the watch and closing it.

The clouds above him started to part and reveal the sun as well as the bright blue sky. Placing his pack on his back, Edward looked up at the sky with a smile.

"Alright, it's a new day, and we've got a long way to go."

"_Then I suggest you be on your way, one step at a time." _(1**)**

* * *

Grace was finally beginning to return to her original duties under the Duke after her mission to the Southern Isles. While she still worked with the Queen on communicating with other members of the alliance of kingdoms, she would still have time to return to her unfinished works that she was forced to leave behind. Before long, her workload had been caught up, evidence that was a valued member to any lucky to have her.

Currently, she was delivering some documents to a noble before returning to the Queen to continue conversing through some reports. These particular reports seemed to have been delivered by a man who lived on the outskirts of the village. His name was unknown to her but judging by the content of what they contained and the focus the monarch put into going over them, they were quite important.

Her Majesty had deemed Grace as a worthy member of the staff and asked for her word that she would keep these reports in the best confidence. So far, no one knew about them. Only Kai and Gerda seemed to be the only two that were aware of their contents. When the woman asked why Duke Eren wasn't entrusted with the secret of these reports, Elsa explained that while he had proved to be a loyal man, he was still a part of the council.

A council who while they had the best intentions for Arendelle, were still rooted in the old ways and had fought against her when she put forth policy changes that would benefit the common man over the ruling class. She would present these reports to the council after she had thoroughly made her case over them, but for now, she needed to go over all of them extensively. Having another pair eyes of someone who was not in the council but was analytical and unafraid to speak her mind, was a welcome blessing, in the Queen's eyes.

So the two women went over the reports. When they first started, Elsa asked that Grace keep an open mind when she read them yet remembered that the source of these reports hadn't proven himself trustworthy yet. When asked why the writer would give these to them, the Queen answered that the man asked for sanctuary in Arendelle after fleeing his home.

The older woman nodded as she dove into the information in front of her and was surprised when she came across the mentions of demons, immortals, and this Father person. It started with the tale of a man who wanted knowledge so that he may better the world and its people. A noble goal but the man went through less than honorable ways to achieve said knowledge. It went on to him facing off against trolls before being forced to flee with ice in his heart.

Grace's eyes slid to the Queen with a calculating stare for a moment making their way back down to the pages in front of her. To stave off being consumed by the ice, the man had created bodies to somehow place his soul in theirs and avoid becoming ice. Unfortunately for him, the ice was fixed to his soul and with each attempt to control another body, the ice spread through the new one quicker. So he decided to animate the bodies with another soul and have them all search for a way to save his.

The older woman looked down the page and noticed that it had been ripped in half so the rest of the tale could not be known. She expected the Queen might have done that to keep her from reading something she shouldn't be that was already a moot point. So she picked off with the next one explaining entities that were named after the Seven Deadly Sins. The abilities that were described in the reports of what the Sins could do seemed to be out of a fairy tale. A few years ago, Grace would believe this was all the ravings of a crazy man, however her own Queen could control ice and snow. Olus the report actually explained how each one's ability worked to a precise science.

For instance, Lust's ability to influence the minds of others targeted the brain's pleasure centers and literally made them drunk off their emotions as long as she influenced them. The failing of this was that if someone was potentially aware of what was happening and could overcome the intoxication of such pleasure, they could break free of the influence.

There was another break in information about the Sin Pride who upon a quick search, had nothing written down about it. It was like whoever gave them these had more to hide and made it plainly obvious what they were hiding. For now though, Grace skipped it and focused on any and all information pertaining to this Father person. It was quite easy to tell that the story was likely based on this Father person given the scattered facts here and there about how old this person might have been as well as the abilities he supposedly possessed.

All in all, the older woman didn't know why the Queen wanted any of this stuff to be read and considered and was about to ask when a knock sounded at the door. Elsa quickly waved a hand and a light breeze of ice had gathered the reports and deposited them in a single stack before replacing them with one of the myriad of books that was in her study. When she was quite certain that no one would see what they were doing she bid whoever was at the door to come in.

Kai entered the study with a concerned expression on his face. As if he was worried how the younger woman would react to the reason as to why he chose to come. When Elsa noticed his hesitancy to speak she put on a comforting smile to show that he had her full attention. "Your Majesty, a Blackdust ship has been sighted approaching the harbor. Likely they are here to retrieve the young men who escorted Ms. Stillwater to the Southern Isles."

The Queen expected a ship to return after sending a letter to them saying that Grace had returned and they could send a ship to retrieve their men. She also informed them of the circumstances regarding the ruling monarchy of the kingdom and has so far received no reply. Alrick had said that he would be away for some time but she thought that he would return soon since she didn't think that a King would be comfortable leaving his home for too long. Even if it was in trustworthy hands.

"I see, well if they require a place to stay they are more than happy to do so before setting back out. After all it would be somewhat tiring to set sail just after docking somewhere that's two days away." The young woman considered the matter closed and was about to retrieve the reports again when Kai raised a hand uncomfortably to stall her.

"They aren't the only ship that was sighted to be on its way here. We could also see a trio of ships that have flags that hail from the Southern Isles. While the lead ship is grand and looks contain a concerning number of cannons, the two ships at its flanks seem to be smaller escort ships."

Elsa froze before she turned back around with her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. There was a ship from the Southern Isles _here_, right after Hans has been made King?! She was half tempted to raise the alarm and have all available guards and soldiers prepare for an attack, even if it was only three ships. Her logical side however expressed that the ships weren't likely here for an attack. It made more sense that they were a delegation of some sort.

It made her weigh her options, if it was a peaceful delegation, then she _should _hear them out since the Southern Isles were part of the alliance, even if it was Hans. if she did, she could learn what he was after here and with Anna gone on her honeymoon, he couldn't use her against the monarch. There was also the option of denying them port and telling them that they would be sunk if they remained in her kingdom. It would be a bluff but hopefully the delegation wouldn't think so since their King had tried assassinating her twice and she now had cause to declare war.

Both options had merits but they also both came with risks. Letting the delegation dock and speak with her could play right into the hands of what they could be planning. While threatening them and they called her bluff would weaken her position against them since legally she couldn't attack them until they were removed from the alliance which she had been working to get that to happen. It all came down to one question.

Would Hans truly believe that she would sink his ships?

The answer was simple.

"Let the ships from the Southern Isles dock and have them escorted here. Tell all the guards to be cautious yet make no move without my express say so."

He knew that she would go to great lengths to remain a pacifist, sinking a delegation even if she had every reason to, was something that she wouldn't do unless they were a direct threat to her people.

* * *

Prince Ahimoth was really annoyed in the situation he found himself of being home and planning his wedding as well as completing tasks that his father had left unattended, he was compelled to sail to Arendelle for damage control. Ever since the disappearance of Rahim's armor as well as his weapon, the council has been out for blood. With Rahim's whereabouts being unknown and Alrick in Corona, they had to make due with _his _blood.

If he thought they piled shit on him before, then he was in for a rude awakening as he bent himself backwards and forward to meet their every whim so they could stay on good terms. More than once, he wished that they were in the military so he could order them to leave him alone or that the King hadn't given them half the power of the throne so there could be checks and balances. With him being just a Prince, not married, a soldier at heart, and being surrounded by older more cunning men than he, Ahimoth found himself beyond screwed.

Luckily he was able to placate them for the most part until some damn letter made its way to one of their offices saying that a set of armor and sword that matched Rahim's had killed the royal family in the Southern Isles. It also said that sniveling snake in the grass Hans was now King and he had personally been attacked by the same man. The King was now on his way to Arendelle to discuss the matter with Queen Elsa and asked that they attend.

The council instantly agreed and wished to set sail right away. They wanted to verify the legitimacy of this claim with the King while checking Arendelle for signs if Rahim was truly there. The Prince knew that they were suspicious of his answer when they asked if he had seen his friend and genuinely meant it that if he had and didn't tell them about it, there would be hell to pay in the form of them having more evidence to prove that the current monarchy was not capable of ruling.

Ahimoth volunteered to accompany the single council member and leave the kingdom to them as a show of good faith. As they set sail, the council member asked what if there was evidence that Rahim was in Arendelle and how the Prince would act. Ahimoth kept his face and tone neutral when he said that should the traitor be in Arendelle, then he would personally capture him and return him to the kingdom to be executed. The council member was satisfied with the answer and left the Prince alone with his thoughts.

Ahimoth couldn't help letting out the breath he was holding as he nervously tapped his fingers together. Fortunately, the council had a base idea of what Rahim looked like as they've never seen his face. Even the soldiers they brought with them hadn't seen the young man. They had a description but only the Prince knew what he looked like. There was also the fact that Edward's skin and hair were different so he could possibly avoid detection but for some reason, Ahimoth felt something terrible was going to happen.

Why would the thief who took Rahim's effects be in the Southern Isles and that same kingdom went to Arendelle to discuss the matter. It was almost as if they thought Queen Elsa sent an assassin to dispose of the ruling monarchy. That was a ridiculous theory but she _did _have men wearing the same uniform as the killer arrive soon after so if someone who didn't know much about the situation looked at the details then they would see merit in the idea.

The Prince shook his head, he had enough problems to deal with at the moment. The first thing he needed to do was see Edward and warn him not to reveal himself as Rahim or things would be ugly quite fast. There was also the fact that Arendelle didn't have extradition laws which he learned on his last visit here so they couldn't really force the young man to leave since he's been living in Arendelle for a while. If they tried then it would become an international incident and with their precarious situation as a kingdom, Ahimoth knew the council wouldn't want to attract any violent attention.

Ahimoth heard one of the men call out that Arendelle was in sight, but wasn't looking ahead to the capitol. He was looking off their side to see a trio of ships that had flags hailing from the Southern Isles. Seems they would see what the new King had to say for himself sooner rather than later.

* * *

**Alright guys hope you enjoyed the chapter and hope you all are staying safe with this outbreak. Keep your spirits up and don't forget them reviews, stay tuned for the next chapter that will hopefully be out soon. **


	42. Chapter 42

**Hey guys new chapter after three days, I'm still working but since the Coronavirus is mucking things up I have some more downtime and I was able to knock out this chapter. There's no promises that I will have a faster update like this one and personally I feel the quality of this chapter was not that great but I'll see what ya'll think. **

**Also to the guest review who reviewed today, thank you for that I really apprecieated it. I was trying to get Elsa's kindess down after watching both movies as well as Once Upon a Time. I also appreciate your opinion on Edward being well written and hope you come to enjoy future chapters. **

* * *

Hans was led by quiet armed guards before he was told to wait in a nicely furnished room. He noticed the looks the guards had given him and smirked when they said nothing and remained still like dogs kept on a leash. His personal guards had been surveying each and every aspect of the castle as well as their route getting here with great intensity that pulled at his mind. He didn't want the Snow Queen to have any idea of what they were planning and his men continuing to note all the exits and entry points along their route was not helping. However when he thought about it, he wasn't too surprised.

These particular men had been handpicked by Greed to act as his guards. The two of them wore identical uniforms fitting of the Southern Isles. Dark grey coats that were buttoned up with thick grey pants tucked into their boots. The Arendellian guards had confiscated their weapons upon entry of the castle but the King knew better, these men were quite dangerous without them. Their movements were all purposeful and with calculated precision. What was quite unnerving about them was the look in their eyes. They were a dull red with their pupils being the size of pinpricks. They weren't as bright and had the same amount of power behind them that Greed's did but they were still off putting.

The taller of the two had his very short blond hair cut close to his skull but had enough to cover his head and have a small amount jutting out from his forehead. His face was free of any age lines or scars and was cleanly shaven. The shorter one had his spiky black jutting out in a myriad of directions and had a scar on the left corner of his mouth that stopped just under his lips and ran down his chin.

They hadn't given any names or even spoke for that matter, Greed just called them by number. The blonde one was #41 while the other was #27. When the King asked why they had numbers instead of names, the bandit leader said that it was more efficient to give them numbers and these men gave up their names to be a part of something bigger. That was an ominous thing to say but Hans chose not to comment on it and let the two of them flank him as he waited for the Snow Queen to see him.

He was surprised to see the ship from Blackdust pulling into port next to him but ultimately was happy they came. It made what he planned to do easier and would no doubt give him an opportunity that he could exploit in the future. Especially with the little gift that he had stashed back on his ship, if he gave it to the right person, he might gain another ally.

A knock on the door announced someone's presence as a servant walked in and bowed to the King. Hans knew he'd seen this fat man during his first trip to Arendelle and struggled to remember his name. He knew that the servant was a close friend to the royal sisters and mostly directed all the other servants throughout the castle but the man's name escaped the royal. The man's face didn't betray a hint of emotion but his eyes told a different story, his eyes flashed with the same fury that all the guard's had in their eyes.

"Her Majesty has sent me to collect you, your guards are to remain here why you speak with her." Hans held back a smirk, Elsa likely wanted to have him alone so he couldn't make a move on her in her throne room. Even though he was not stupid enough to do so, he had to play up appearances.

"I think not, with the recent attempts on my life, I cannot in good conscious entrust my wellbeing to a kingdom that has already failed my brother." The servant didn't even bat an eye.

"Then you will not see her Majesty, your safety concerns have been addressed and you are quite safe. The recent additions to the royal guard as well as the Queen's presence is enough to repel any foolish enough to challenge her." The thinly veiled threat had his guards take a step forward which had four other guards enter the room looking for any excuse to escalate the situation. All the while, Hans and the servant hadn't taken their eyes off one another, both were seeing who would back down first.

The King raised a hand and had his guards back down as he stepped forward with an easy smile. "Your confidence has inspired me to take you at your word, after all there must always be trust between allies." The servant said nothing as he stepped aside and let the royal pass him into the hallway which was occupied by even more guards. The fat man led the way as four more guards encircled them while the first four remained in the waiting room, likely to keep an eye on his guards.

On the way to the throne room, it seemed that the servant had no intention of talking and would rather continue in silence but Hans had different ideas. "Arendelle sure is looking better than the last time I was here, it's a blessing that the Queen managed to put an end to the winter during her coronation. When I was left in charge by the Princess, I couldn't help but notice that you all were approaching a lack of crops given that they mostly died. Now after returning after so much time has passed, you all are looking quite fine with the food situation, I'm sure you could give me a more experience recollection of how matters on that front has been going."

Hans could see the guards around them tighten their hold on their weapons and bit the lips but remained silent. Him acting like this was his first time being in Arendelle after Elsa was crowned Queen really grated on all the men's nerves and they looked ready to skewer him. The King didn't care about their reactions; he was focused solely on the fat man in front of him who still remained the picture of decorum.

"You are correct, however as Her Majesty continued her rein, the kingdom has flourished in many ways. The people adore her and would defend her should the need arise. Her care and devotion sets her apart from past rulers as well as current ones. In my humble opinion, I currently cannot think of any who would measure up to even half the ruler she is, save her sister. Any others would likely fail when they become arrogant and greedy for power." The servant's answer was delivered with the same monotone voice he took when speaking with the King. With his back to him, Hans could not see whatever emotion flashed in the man's eyes but his concealed message was plain to the royal.

When they arrived at the doors to the throne room, the servant turned and bowed his head before gesturing to them. "Her Majesty waits inside." Hans gave him a side look as he stayed rooted in his spot before the large oak doors.

"I appreciate your escort, can I have a name to properly thank you?"

"Its Kai, sir."

"I see, thank you Kai for your escort as well as the talk on the way here." Hans then chose that moment to enter through the door while a new thought formed in the back of his head.

_Kai my friend, you will come to regret those words when you're kneeling before me begging for mercy and I deny you a swift death. _

Elsa had sent Hans off to a waiting room when she learned that Prince Ahimoth was here and wished to speak with him first. Hopefully he could stay when Hans came to the throne room so they could have a united front against the King since he had put both their loved ones in danger. While the circumstances last time that caused him to leave were not ideal, the fact that he returned here gave her hope. Alrick didn't seem to be one who would order his son to do something unless it was absolutely important given that he gave Edward a choice, so if the Prince returned of his own volition, then perhaps he's learned to forgive his friend.

When he walked in the throne room, she was about to welcome when she noticed two things that didn't bode well. There was an older man and not Lilian at his side, and the Prince had a grim scowl on his face. She watched him take a quick look over the room as if he was searching for it and judging that his eyes never stayed too long in one direction, he didn't seem to find what he was searching for. Oddly enough, his scowl lessened somewhat like he was glad he didn't find what he was looking for.

The older man who came in with him bowed his head in an exuberant fashion before speaking. "Your Majesty, Queen Elsa, it's an honor to finally be in your radiant presence. We cannot begin to thank you enough for allowing us to trade with you and with the arrangement for support during your mission to the Southern Isles concluded, we cannot repay you enough for allowing us to join in your alliance of kingdoms."

The woman's mask shifted into an easy smile that expressed she was quite pleased to hear such praise and gratitude. However on the inside, she could feel something was off about this man. She gave him a quick once over and couldn't find anything that physically telling about him. He was a stout man, mid forties, slicked back black hair, perfectly groomed mustache. He seemed nice enough and with the position she knew he was in, it wasn't a stretch to believe he was genuine but when the man spoke, Ahimoth's eyes slid over to him and stayed on him the entire time with a unpleased expression. Elsa may have had some misgivings about the Prince but he had proved with words and actions that his heart was in the right place.

So if he looked unhappy about returning to her kingdom and was focusing all of his attention on the man he came with, then something said that she should too.

"Think nothing of it, I am always happy to have another ally to Arendelle, hopefully this will continue and we can invite even more kingdoms to come together and trade so the world can enjoy a much needed peace." The man couldn't help but agree as he straightened himself out while taking a look around the room himself, seemingly searching for something.

"As you know, we were sending a ship to retrieve the men that were left behind for a mission but we received a letter concerning the situation in the Southern Isles. Someone wearing the uniform of one of the soldiers who turned out to be a traitor was spotted there and is the main suspect in the murders of the royal family. The last surviving member Hans Westergard happened to be a witness to the suspect killing one of his brothers. He asked that we come here to discuss the details of it since he would be arriving here. We saw his ship pull into port before us yet have not seen him, would it be possible for us to speak with him?"

Elsa's mask remained in place without a crack in it but she couldn't help but inwardly widen her eyes at what the man just said. Someone wearing a Mystic Guard uniform murder the royal family? She was under the impression that Hans likely assassinated his brothers to get the throne. While this was all hearsay, she couldn't dismiss that it might be true. There was also the fact that Hans asked for Blackdust to come here as well, so he likely had something planned. She could refuse the audience between them but that would raise suspicions all on their own so unfortunately she had to let them speak.

"Yes you may, since we are on friendlier terms than the Southern Isles, I wished to speak with you first. He should be arriving here shortly to speak with me, after that, then you may see him at your leisure." The council member nodded as he moved to leave and motioned the Prince to follow after him. Ahimoth did not look excited to do so nevertheless, he began to follow when the Queen stopped him.

"Prince Ahimoth, before you leave, there was something I wanted to speak to you concerning your wedding. It won't take long if you could spare a minute right now?" The large man turned around and looked confused for a moment before his eyes widened in understanding.

"Yes I believe I can spare a short moment." Ahimoth turned to the council member who looked ready to stay, likely to keep an eye on the Prince. "This won't take long, she'll probably ask about when I plan to host the ceremony or some questions about Lilian given they are both Elementals. While I do this, you should debrief the men who went on the mission and hear their reports on the situation of the Southern Isles."

The stout man narrowed his eyes as he tried to see if there were any thoughts that could be gleaned from the Prince's seemingly innocent expression. A moment passed before he nodded and made his way out the room and turned to give one last look at the Prince before the doors closed blocking him from view. When Ahimoth was sure that the council member was gone, he let out a breath of either frustration or relief before turning back to the Queen.

"We'll have to keep this short, I'm already in a bind with Rahim's armor and weapon being stolen. With them both being sighted in the Southern Isles killing one of the Princes while another one died with the King of Blackdust in the same kingdom, the council is ready to rip me a new asshole, so let's get down to the point." Ahimoth took a step forward with a grim expression on his face.

"Was Wrath the one who killed them?"

On any other occasion, Elsa would've been peeved that he would suggest that Edward would do such a thing but she had to see it from his perspective. His friend's personal effects were stolen and seen committing regicide after he had banished the man who took over his friend's body. Given Wrath's past actions, regicide was completely in his set of skills so it was logical to assume he would do it with weapons he was partial to. Oddly when the council member told her that they had a suspect that committed those crimes, it suggested they didn't know much about the culprit. While she was sure that they suspected Rahim, Ahimoth knew Edward was here and if he told them all that he knew then she could see them bringing a large force to detain the young man.

"No, he's been here the entire time. My guards had seen him when the Prince was alive and after, plus I can personally vouch for him that he didn't murder the man in the dead of night."

"Well I might buy that, but the council won't. You need to understand the importance of that sword being seen killing a royal. Throughout the history of Blackdust, there isn't another weapon like it, it's one of a kind that has made a name for itself in our kingdom. It was stolen from my office along with the armor without leaving a trace. While anyone could use that sword, not many would be able to sneak past all our guards and take it without touching anything else. The council believes that it was Rahim since a body was not found and have deemed him a top priority target. If he is found here then they will take action."

"I understand the situation, currently Edward is not here, he went on a training exercise with the Captain of the Royal Guard." The Prince's face took a thoughtful expression for a moment before he scowled when he remembered the Captain.

"Oh he's with _that_ asshole, better him than me. We'd probably kill each other in the first few minutes." Elsa couldn't help the chuckle that left her lips as she remembered hearing some of her guards have bets going on when the two would do that very thing. As Queen, she was above betting over conflict but the young woman couldn't help pulling Klein aside and asking that he make a bet that the two of them would return with high spirits. The young guard expressed his doubt that would come to pass given how much the two argued but did as she asked.

"He is expected to return later today or tomorrow so he will be able to answer your questions." The Prince shook his head.

"There's no need. In fact it's better that he's not here, if it discovered that Rahim was here and we lied about it, the council would have a field day finding reasons we shouldn't be one the throne." That made Elsa sympathetic to the man's plight. Ahimoth knew the truth and did what was best for his kingdom as well as gave Edward another chance at life. Initially, she disagreed with him banishing the young man but after considering his position as a monarch as well as the situation, she was grateful that he didn't have the young man eternally imprisoned.

"I will send one of my men to meet with them and tell them the situation. Do you know Hans' intentions for returning here? Or why he asked you to be here?" The large man shook his head as he took a calming breath as he cracked his knuckles.

"No, but he's got some balls asking me to come here after trying to kill Lilian, if that council member wasn't here and no one knew I was…" Elsa could tell that the man was still upset at the last time he saw the King and was unhappy to be called by him. She herself wasn't happy that he had decided to return to Arendelle after threatening her sister _twice. _She was beginning to lose patience with the King and felt the temptation of just freezing him in a solid block of ice so the whole world would know she didn't tolerate threats against her family. Elsa shook her head, those thoughts were too dark for her nature.

She would _not _use her powers like that, peace of mind gained by terrible measures did not mean anything to her.

"I understand how you feel. The sole fact he's here in this castle has me nervous, I feel like I'm playing into whatever plan he has set for me like a puppet. I know that him by himself isn't a formidable adversary but I feel that this isn't one of his plans. He's a snake but he wouldn't risk his life regardless of what he could achieve unless he was completely safe. Coming here with only three ships and being escorted by only two guards is something that strikes me as odd. If it were any other kingdom, they would likely have him removed from port if not killed on sight, even if they were in the same alliance. Yet he chose to return here, knowing full well of what I am capable of."

Ahimoth shrugged as he crossed his arms. "That's just it, he _does _know what you're capable of. The problem is, he also knows how far you are actually willing to go." The way he essentially verbally expressed her worries made her flinch. She knew they were true and even admitted to herself that she wasn't one to actually go far enough to hurt someone.

"He knows that you won't strike him down in anger and is playing off that. No offense to you but that is just how you are. I'm sure that if it _really _came down to it that you would do what is necessary but it hasn't come to that yet and you're doing your best to keep it from escalating that far. It's an admirable trait, personally, I've rarely seen people in power exercise that line of thought to the extent you do but I can't deny that you have a loyal following of people so it must have its merits."

Elsa actually appreciate the small compliment from the man even though he just admitted that he really didn't seem to put much stock in it but was open minded enough to believe it. "I, on the other hand, am not so lenient. If he makes so much as a comment about Lilian that isn't a profound apology on why he tried to murder her, he _will _die. I don't care how it will be received with the other kingdoms but I will take that gamble. The King would agree and my only concern is how she'll take it. She wants me to look for more diplomatic resolutions to problems and I'm trying but there are some things that diplomacy will have no effect on."

Elsa personally wanted to disagree that with the right amount of time and effort, diplomacy would always prevail but the Queen in her agreed with the sentiment. Some people are just too far gone. Edward was a case that made her hopeful that it was never too late but the more she thought about Rahim though as well as the psychological reports that she's received about him, she had little hope that he would be the same.

"I have a mixed stance on that but will not begrudge you of your opinions. I find it very admirable that you wish to protect your loved ones and no matter what the fallout will be from your actions, know that Arendelle _will _stand you with you. It's the least I can do for your invaluable service to us." The woman was surprised to see the Prince groan and let out a frustrated breath as he looked at her with a frown. She thought he would be happy to know that he would have their support.

"You just take the fun out of everything don't you? I was so ready to waste this guy but knowing you would side your kingdom with mine makes me not want to. I can't have you supporting my decision to commit regicide. Damnit, I guess we can _try _it your way and do this diplomatically. But let me tell you, one step, _one step _out of line and he's going down. Him _and _his kingdom's gonna get it, I'll go myself and whoop all their asses with one arm, no _both _arms tied behind my back. I'll knock his teeth down his throat, bend him over, put my foot up his ass and make him spit them back out." The Prince began to leave while still muttering to himself about the things he would do. Some of them had her raise a fine eyebrow in surprise with the sheer viciousness that she imagined him to have to do such a thing. He didn't even wait for the guards to open the doors for him, he just wrenched them open himself and continued muttering out the room.

Elsa let herself smile at his antics and conceded that she was beginning to like the large man. But her smile ended quickly when she thought about what was about to happen. She called for Kai and asked him to go and collect Hans so she could hear out what the man wanted to say. As she sat back on her throne, Hector walked in after likely another council meeting and stood off to her side and relieved the four guards that were protecting her in his absence. He leaned down to whisper in her ear while the two of them waited.

"I've just been informed that King Hans as well as Prince Ahimoth arrived here with the former about to walk through those doors. Is that true?" The blonde nodded her head as her eyes remained glued to the doors.

"Forgive me if I'm overstepping my bounds, but is it wise to have him here in the castle? After his attempts to take this kingdom, _twice_, I believe it would be safer to exchange letters rather than have him physically here."

"I understand your concerns and agree with them, however he arrived here unannounced and I couldn't force him to leave. He _is_ still part of the alliance of kingdoms until I can file a motion to have him removed." The man stayed quiet for a moment before bringing something else to her attention.

"You are aware that Princess Anna is scheduled to return today from her honeymoon. If she were to see that he was here then who knows the type of reaction she could have which could be more damaging to the kingdom's reputation than you refusing them an audience." He was right. Anna would likely react quite hostilly especially after the last time the two of them saw one another. It would be completely within her rights to say whatever she wanted to say but the political game sometimes was very flawed.

"Unfortunately, I believe you might be right. Which is why I need you to quietly have her and Kristoff intercepted before she comes to the castle. Explain to her the situation and assure her that I will be fine, she will likely insist on coming anyway, but tell her that she _is _to remain as far out of his reach as possible. In addition to that, I also need Edward and Captain Stonewell to be intercepted and appraised of the situation as well. Have the Captain return as soon as possible but have Edward remain with Anna. I cannot worry and stay on my toes for whatever plan _His Majesty _might have." Hector nodded as he left the room.

He caught up to the four men and had them return to the Queen's side while he carried out her orders. As he left the castle, he started to consider the implications of what she had ordered. It completely made sense for the Princess to be kept out of the castle while Hans was here but what nagged at him was his second set of orders. She wanted the Captain and Edward to be intercepted and told of the situation as well. She may not have said the word 'before' for them like she did for the Princess, the word _intercepted _meant to obstruct someone so as to prevent them from continuing to a destination. She wanted Stonewell to return yet have Edward remain with Anna who was to stay as far out of his reach as possible.

He supposed that she could be worried about his safety and that she didn't want him to be taken hostage because of the fact he was screwing her, but the young man could take care of himself. He's more than proved to be a formidable opponent that can overcome multiple enemies. It would make sense to have someone of his skill close by in case something terrible happened. There was the possibility that the Queen wanted him to protect her sister and ensure her safety but Hector didn't buy that that was the _only _reason.

He then remembered the conversation he had with the young man the night of the ball. Edward more or less admitted that he was from Blackdust and he was banished after a civil war. Hans didn't come alone here, he invited the _Blackdust _to attend as well. While it did make sense given that the entire royal line of the Southern Isles was assassinated by someone who was suspected to be part of the Blackdust military, the cynic in the Queen's Personal Guard, felt there was something more. It was likely that the Queen would have both kingdom's closer to the castle to discuss whatever they came for and keeping both Anna and Edward away from the castle would keep them away from the two royals.

He could admit that the theory had flaws to it but he did have a way to solidify it. He gathered some men that he could trust and told them to wait at the docks for the Princess's return and to inform her of the situation while asking her to remain at the docks. After doing so, he went to the village gate where the Captain and Edward were more likely to enter from. He waited for about an hour before he could see them walking down the path. The Captain seemed to be trying his hardest to disagree with something but the young man next to him had a full blown smile on his face as he pestered the old man. Hector cursed under his breath as he just lost the bet that was going around about their trip.

_Looks like Klein is going to be very happy this evening. _

The two men broke from their conversation as they noticed him waiting for them with a serious expression on his face. The Captain stepped forward first and received a salute before asking why Queen's Personal Guard was meeting them out here. "Sir, Her Majesty wanted me to inform you that King Hans of the Southern Isles has arrived in Arendelle and that you are needed to return to the castle as soon as possible."

Stonewell's face bunched up in annoyance as he gripped the bridge of his nose as if to fight off a headache. He knew, _knew_, something was off. For once, he wished he was wrong, he wished he was going senile and that he was just paranoid. Hell, he'd take becoming a victim of post traumatic stress attacks rather than just be right when something was wrong. So much for a nice relaxing break when he got back.

"Understood, there must be more than that, tell us on the way."

When him and Edward moved to enter Arendelle, Hector stopped the young man by placing a hand against his chest. The Captain turned and was not that surprised to see the man whirl on the personal guard with a fierce expression.

"You're right, there is more. I also received another set of orders from Her Majesty to keep Edward away from the castle." Edward's face was confused for a moment before becoming absolutely enraged as he shoved the hand off his chest and got into the noble's face.

"And why is it that Elsa would want me away from her when someone who tried to assassinate her twice is under the same roof as her?" Stonewell shook his head at the lapse of control. He was aware of the connection that the young man shared with his Queen but he also knew that it would be smarter to not let others know. By him just saying her name and acting aggressively, it all but screamed that there was something between them. The noble didn't bat an eye at the aggressive action as if he expected it.

"It is not my place to question her orders. Perhaps it is because a delegation from Blackdust has also arrived, Prince Ahimoth seems to be among them." Just like that, Edward's anger evaporated as a look of bewilderment crossed his features. Ahimoth was back in Arendelle, the young man didn't really expect the Prince to return after what happened last time. While thoughts whirled around his head, he didn't notice Hector narrowing his eyes as if something just fell into place and he had to focus on more detail to get the whole picture. The Captain raised an eyebrow at the new information but filed it away for another time, right now the Queen was top priority.

"Ok, Her Majesty wanted him to remain away from the castle. Were there any additional orders for him?" Hector turned back around to answer the Captain as Edward snapped out of his trance to listen.

"Yes, he's to see to Princess Anna's and her husband's security while we see to Her Majesty's. The Princess is not to come anywhere near King Hans' position, the Queen fears that he may have something up his sleeve or the possibility that she might cause an incident." The young man winced a bit as he put his hands on his waist while shaking his head. As much as he hated to admit it, the noble was right. The redhead would probably give the King a black eye, even if he deserved it and she was in the right, if he was King now, then she just assaulted a monarch of another kingdom. One in its own kingdom's alliance, the political backlash could be disastrous.

There was also the fact that Ahimoth was here. If Elsa didn't want him near the castle while she knew that the Prince was here, then there must've been something that he didn't know. It would probably be pretty bad if he arrived at the castle and the Blackdust delegation caused an incident because of him. So it was smart to have him sent away while protecting her sister and keeping her out of the snake's clutches. "Alright I understand, has the Princess arrived yet?"

Hector turned back to Edward with his eye raised at the rather calm and accepting tone. It was like he expected the young man to argue some more. "I had men stationed at the docks and ordered them to keep her there until you arrived to assume her security. That was an hour ago, if she still hasn't arrived then you are to wait there. If she has though, I suggest you hurry. We both know how powerful Her Highness is when the Queen's in danger." Edward nodded as he dropped his pack while taking out his katana then handed the pack to Hector who placed it on his back.

"There any place that the Queen wants me to take the Princess and her husband?"

"All she said was 'as far out of his reach as possible.'"

* * *

When Hans walked through the door of the throne room, he was instantly met with a very brisk wind. When he looked around the room, he couldn't help but smirk a little. The entire room had a thin layer of ice all over. There were ice chandeliers hanging off the ceiling as well as sculptures that took on the image of suits of armor. The actual throne was grander than he remembered. It was higher and decorated with finely cut and detailed designs that raised the chair so the woman sitting in it would be looking down at whoever entered the room.

Speaking of the woman sitting on the throne, she was wearing a different ice dress than usual. She added a high collar with the top of her shoulders covered. The top of her chest was still visible which showed a small black necklace around her neck as well as beautiful gems made of ice around it. Her hair was done up in a bun with her crown on her head with crystal ice earrings that sparkled in the light.

She had her back set against her extravagant throne with her arms resting on the arm rests. Her face was masked in an icy cold mask that radiates superiority and that she found whatever she was looking at beneath her. Which was him at the moment.

If he hadn't known her before, he would've been quite intimidated but he knew who he was dealing with. Also what _she _didn't know was that he had a few tricks of his sleeve to force her cooperation and as an insurance, he was quite sure that if he gave the signal, his guards would quickly come to retrieve him. Greed had told him that his guards had powerful senses and would be able to hear a specific pitch in a whistle even over a distance. The pitch was so unusual that Hans had never heard never heard a whistle quite like it. The bandit leader had him practice it until he could do it perfectly and told him to only use this if his life was in danger because the men he brought with him would _not_ stop until he was safely away on his ship.

"Greetings Queen Elsa it is so good to see you. I wanted to take this time to speak with you about my membership in your alliance, my advisers have told me that you might file a motion to have my kingdom removed when Weselton sailed on my kingdom."

"They were right, I am filing a motion to have your kingdom removed, not because of a possible invasion, because of you ascending the throne. Lets not pretend the crimes you have commited here are of no consequence. You are quite fortunate that I did not have you executed the moment you stepped foot in my kingdom."

Hans chuckled a bit at the woman trying to make him fear her. It was a valiant attempt but he had plenty of assurances that she didn't know about and he was sure he was safe. "You are right, I am fortunate that you did not have me executed. However, one could argue that you are also fortunate for not killing me. Consider this, a Prince of the Southern Isles was killed while under _your _protection and an invasion from an unknown force occurred right after in which the result had the other members of royalty killed. The man suspected of committing these crimes has a record being a soldier in the Blackdust military, one in which Arendelle is allied with."

The way he drawled on with this information made Elsa narrow her eyes but she remained silent. She wanted to see where he was going with this. Surely he wasn't foolish enough to suggest that Arendelle plotted with Blackdust to have the Southern Isles conquered as well as have his brothers assassinated. It was a foolish theory given that she hadn't pursued war with them or cut off trade either after almost having her throne usurped once. If he _was _foolish enough to go for this tactic then she was confident that the other alliance members would side with her.

"It makes me wonder if Arendelle may have had a hand in the death of my brothers."

Elsa felt a triumphant smile pull at her mask but she held it in as she let the temperature in the room drop as she spoke. "You would _dare _accuse my kingdom for attempting regicide when we have multiple witnesses that have all seen you have tried the same crime _twice_?! Even if we were to stoop as low as you, it is well known that you were the one to strike first and because of my mercy, your kingdom has not suffered. We both know the real reason you are here. You are here to try and bluff your way into remaining in an alliance in which I have worked hard to expand and maintain. You know if I file a motion to have you removed and provide them with the evidence we have against you, they would throw you out like the little worm you are."

The blonde raised a finger and a harsh wind blindsided the King and had him fighting to remain upright as she continued to speak with a regal mask on her face. "We both know who holds the power here, so I suggest you take care to remember that."

Hans could feel the frost building up around his clothes as the harsh wind blew at him for another moment until it stopped and he was allowed a reprieve. He certainly wasn't expecting that but wasn't deterred, he still had a few tricks up his sleeve.

"You are right on all accounts. Except one Your Majesty. When I suggested that Arendelle might have had a hand in it, I wasn't talking about the ruling monarchy ordering my assassination. I was referring to someone hiding here who is quite known for his skill with a blade as well as his unrelenting drive to see a mission through. The council that advises the King has been in contact with me and has just informed me that the weapon of the very same soldier I speak of has gone missing without a trace. When I was fighting for my home, I happened to cross blades with a soldier matching the description of the armor that was gone…"

Hans reached up and unbuttoned the top of his jacket to reveal an undershirt and he pulled it down enough to reveal a scar that Elsa could see went down his chest as to his right arm. "...his blade is what gave me this wound and killed my brother right in front of me. Before he could finish me off, my men found us and watched him disappear into thin air. Such a feat would be impossible but so is controlling ice and snow. When I came to, the battle was over and the soldier had disappeared but we had a trail of where he might be going and I happened to bring something to illustrate my point more."

The blonde was about to respond when hard knocks reverbated on the throne doors. The guards instantly prepared for battle as Hans calmly replaced his jacket. The Queen rose to her feet and took a step forward and instantly encased the King in a prison of ice before she whipped a hand forcing a wind to open the doors. In came the council member from Blackdust who looked quite furious as he waved something in his hand.

"Queen Elsa, what is the meaning of this?!"

The sheer amount of rage that followed the man's words made her inwardly flinch but she kept her mask on and squared herself to meet him. She spoke purposefully and calmly to avoid escalating the situation.

"Sir, if you mean why have I imprisoned the King of the Southern Isles, it is because he is a high security risk who has more than once tried to commit regicide against mine as well as your kingdom."

The man stopped and sweeped his hand out dismissing her words. "I don't care about him! I am asking why are you harboring a murderous fugitive."

"Sir, Arendelle does not harbor murderers, surely whatever Hans has told you is likely a lie to divide us."

"Is that so? Then why is Rahim's blade in his possession with a report of his progress of erasing the Southern Isles royal line addressed to a man called Garret Sobel who was a confidant of the Arendelle monarchy?!"

* * *

**To be honest, I'm trying to find a way to acurately illustrate the gravity of the situation of why Rahim's katana is so important as well as to why Hans having it is a big problem. I'll reveal more next chapter but to be honest I'm not looking forward to the next few chapters but they need to be written. Please leave a comment or review if you wish to speak with me.**


	43. Chapter 43

**STILL LOOKING FOR EXPERIENCED BETA READER!**

**Quick shoutout to ****starrar2356** **Arkham Knight22 FanFreak12 ****Ksquared3** **for the favorite/follow.**

**In response to the review from ****IAmWhoIAm317** **I too enjoyed the coin part from chapter 41, I really wanted to drive home that Stonewell (as impossible as he might seem) did have his flaws and that he could really step into his mentor role. Idk I tried to make the readers stop and go "what the fuck" during that part. Who knows maybe I should've gone darker, hopefully I got the point across that Stonewell is a dark dude but is still a good one deep down. **

* * *

Edward was rocking on his heels as he waited for the Arendellian ship to dock. He could already see an outline of Anna waving excitedly at him which prompted him to do the same but he couldn't replicate the smile that was on the redhead's face. His worries were currently plaguing his mind as he considered the idea that Hans was in the castle with Elsa. There was also the fact that Hans had now become King of the Southern Isles which meant he had an actual army under his beck and call. Military wise, the Southern Isles would likely win a confrontation with Arendelle but with Elsa factored in, their defeat would be certain.

It didn't take a genius to know that taking into account the nature of the blonde's abilities as well as the geography of her kingdom, she could effectively halt any advance. Whether it be by ship or by land, she would have plenty of time to see the enemy and could throw up a snowstorm to dissuade them. She could do even more than that, if she was a killer but Elsa would only use her powers defensively. There would be no threat from her unless she was provoked.

Which made coming here a smart move on Hans's part. If he intended to invade Arendelle, he would first need to remove Elsa from the equation. A head on fight against her would not be wise which left using underhanded tricks and playing on her emotions a safer play. The fact that he came here as a King of the Southern Isles meant that she couldn't just cast him out or attack him due to the kingdom being an ally of hers. Hans likely thought that as long as he made no hostile moves then he was safe from the Snow Queen who would stick to the rules concerning her alliance.

That didn't mean however that he would continue to remain docile while he was here. He was here for a reason, what that could be escaped Edward's mind. If Elsa were to die after he came here then it would be quickly tied to him and his kingdom would be destroyed. While he didn't have the highest opinion of the newly appointed King, Edward knew that the man wasn't foolish enough to make a reckless action such as assassinating a Queen. There was also the fact that there would be multiple guards around her at all times with additional training that he oversaw himself to protect her. On top of that, Stonewell understood the situation and would likely keep an eye on the King personally which meant that the Captain would need to be dealt with first. The odds of that coming to pass were highly improbable.

This was still all assuming Ahimoth didn't carry a grudge over Hans attempting to take him and Lillian hostage. It was almost a given that the Prince would want the King's head on a platter. With all these factors considered, there was almost no way that Hans could make any moves against the blonde yet for some reason, Edward continued to worry. Something just continued to prod at his mind, like a warning that something unfortunate was coming to pass.

It would've been better if he could remain by Elsa's side and ensure nothing went wrong but she wished that he looked after Anna and Kristoff. It made sense to protect them so the King wouldn't be able to use them as hostages, but still he longed to be by her side. The young man shook his head, now wasn't the time to be thinking about what he wanted. He knew that his desire to see her stemmed from him missing her during his training trip. Rationally he knew it wasn't even for a long time but still, with everything that's been going on, it would be nice if they could spend a few quiet days just being around one another.

The ship finally docked and Anna came racing down the ramp with her arms extended and her feet already off the ground as she flew to tackle the young man. Edward let out a soft groan as all her weight and momentum slammed into him as he returned the bone crushing hug she was currently giving him.

"Hey Ed, missed you so much! Did you miss me? How is Elsa? Did you two finally confess your feelings? Are you a couple now? Did you two get into a fight? You aren't in trouble are you? Did-" The redhead kept firing question after question which made Edward worm his way out of her grip and place his hands on her shoulders to get her to stop.

"It's nice to see you too, Anna. Elsa is fine and we are fine. I just-"

"Then where is Elsa if you two are fine?"

That simple question made the young man pause for a moment. The question itself was a harmless and easy question to answer, the problem was what came after it. He knew that she would ask why her sister hadn't come to see her which would then tie in to why he wasn't going to let her return to the castle. If he told her that Hans had returned a King and is here speaking with Elsa who ordered that the Princess be kept as far away as possible; the redhead was likely to spontaneously combust in raw fury.

He already knew it was coming and the odds of convincing the redhead to adhere to her sister's wishes and remain safe were quite slim. Both sisters had the same amount of resolve when it came to keeping the other safe. They would likely go to the ends of the Earth and do anything for one another. He could easily see Anna disregarding Elsa's wishes and running to her aid. It was up to him to prevent that and keep her safe.

Problem with that was, he wholeheartedly agreed with the redhead and didn't know if he had the heart to stop her.

As if God had heard his plight, Kristoff chose that time to come down the ramp with Sven behind him. The mountain man noticed his friend and came over with his arms out ready to receive a hug. "Ed, how you been man?" Edward mentally sent the ice harvester a gracious thank you for temporarily staving off the conversation he was dreading.

"Well not so soon after you left, I was stuck on a field exercise with the Captain, I just returned and Elsa asked me to meet you two out here while she did some important work."

Kristoff instantly accepted the reason but Anna had a skeptical look on her face at what the man just said. She watched the two of them catch up for a moment before taking a look around her. She just now noticed the heavy guard presence that was all around her. They completely surrounded the docks and had grim expressions on their faces. She also noticed that there were more ships already docked further down and they had quite a few guards posted around them. The redhead supposed that Elsa could be entertaining some foreign royalty and was in a meeting but when she looked at the flags of the ships here her heart stopped.

The days where she began to learn how to be a diplomat, she was required to learn the myriad of flags that other kingdoms raised over their ships. It was a slow process for her to remember all of them but a few of them stuck themselves in her memory. One in particular had its image burned into her mind.

Whenever she would gaze upon the flag of the Southern Isles, her mind would instantly replace the flag with _his _face.

Hans had made a _lasting _impression on her, one which would take quite a bit of time to remove. While she knew that Hans was just one person and didn't represent the entire kingdom, she still got chills that ran down her spine whenever one of their ships would visit. Before she had left for her honeymoon, she remembered that there had been an uproar that Weselton might have been planning to invade the kingdom. Elsa said she should focus on her wedding while she planned on sending an envoy to check in on the situation.

The redhead never knew what had happened to that envoy since she had left before they could return. She also took notice of the amount of guards that tailed her from a distance. They never interfered with her or Kristoff but she could always pick them out whenever she looked around. That simple fact spoke volumes that her sister was worried.

There was also the fact that one of the Princes of the Southern Isles was found murdered in his own ship. That definitely did not bode well that someone saw fit to kill a royal during a summit. One would think that if Elsa had known that Anna had returned safe, the blonde would be racing down to the docks. Instead she sent someone else who meant a great deal to her and was quite adept at defending himself. The Princess narrowed her eyes as she amended that statement. Edward was more than adept at defending himself.

He was capable of rescuing Elsa from an encampment of bandits as well as being able to fight a monster who killed many guards. It would make sense to have someone like him ready to protect the Queen in case of an attack but he was _here without Elsa, _with a Southern Isles ship in their harbor and a ship from Blackdust next to it. Anna supposed that the young man didn't want to incur the wrath of anyone from his home kingdom but also knew that he would always ensure Elsa's safety even if it meant enduring whatever insults that the envoy from Blackdust hurled his way. The line of thought made the cogs in the redhead's brain turn faster and faster until it finally clicked in her head.

_Elsa sent Edward to protect her._

If her sister was willing to send someone like Edward away to protect her then something very big must be happening right now. Anna took purposeful steps toward the young man who was still having a conversation with Kristoff and whirled him around to face her with a tug of her arm.

"Don't lie Edward. Is my sister in danger?"

She watched his face go through a multitude of emotions such as surprise, worry, then finally uncomfortable. He didn't speak as soon as she would've liked but she waited until he finally spoke.

"I honestly don't know. I haven't even seen her yet since being back. Hector was waiting for me and Stonewell at the gates and told us that Hans was now King of the Southern Isles and that he was here with a delegation from Blackdust. Elsa asked that the Captain return to the castle while I waited here for you and kept you as far away from Hans as possible."

With each word he spoke, he couldn't help the sliver of fear that inched its way into his heart. Now that he thought about it, there was no guarantee that Elsa _was _even ok. Hector could've been lying for all he knew and the council could've sided with the King to get rid of Elsa and have Arendelle under their control. He knew that that was a highly unlikely scenario that was created by his paranoia which only served to further distract him but he couldn't help it.

He _needed _to know Elsa was alright.

Surprisingly, he just now noticed that the redhead in front of him didn't blow up in an explosion of anger. In fact she had a calm expression on her face that had a hint of deep thinking in her blue eyes. Kristoff behind him had his eyes as wide as dinner plates at what he just heard and glanced in the direction of the castle.

"Of course she would say that…"

Anna let out a huff as she began to slowly pace the same way her sister did from time to time. The young man watched her do so with an intrigued expression. He expected her to be mowing him down to get to the castle but seeing her actually thinking before jumping in like she usually did showed that she had changed and grown up a little on her honeymoon. He could still see the way she tightened her fingers against her side that suggested that she wanted nothing more than to rush to her sister's side.

"Let me guess, she also ordered you to use any means to keep me from the castle too didn't she?"

"Hector didn't say that she did but expressed that she _really _wanted you to stay away."

Anna nodded her head as she let out a deep sigh. She wanted to tear her pigtails out of her head, she really did. She wanted to march over to the castle and give that jerk a black eye and yell at her sister that whatever happened they could face it together. The only reason she didn't was because she actually took a moment to consider the situation.

The idea of Hans being King disgusted her but it also meant that he couldn't attack Elsa because he was a part of their alliance. If he broke that agreement then he would be attacked by all their allies. There was also the possibility that even if her sister was captured, Anna knew that she wouldn't sign over the kingdom under any circumstance. Except if the redhead was captured as well. Sending Edward to guard her was a great choice as Queen that ensured that Arendelle wouldn't fall to that bastard.

It sucked to think like a Princess and not like Anna. Her heart was _screaming _at her to run to her sister but she remained where she was. It was easier to do so when she could see the same look in the young man's eyes as he kept glancing over at the castle every so often, likely wishing he was there as well but stayed to protect her. She said it herself back at the Winter Solstice Gathering, '_is it too hard for you to do it for her?'_

There was _nothing _Anna wouldn't do for her sister, and she knew the feeling was mutual.

"Alright, I'll stay away. _Only _if you send every other guard back to the castle just in case." Edward looked surprised and seemed ready to ask if she really knew what she was saying. She let out a rueful smile and shrugged that showed she knew exactly what she said. She may not be able to go herself but she would do everything she could to help. Having more guards around just in case would be beneficial and mitigate some of the worries in her mind.

The young man nodded and had all the guards on the dock move out toward the castle to help reinforce security while he stayed with the married couple and reindeer. Now all they had to do was figure out where to go. They needed to go somewhere that Elsa would know and not be too far away that they couldn't come back to help in case something happened. When he asked the newlyweds, Kristoff stepped forward with an answer.

"Why don't we go to Grand Pabbie? No one but us knows he exists or where he lives." That was a good idea, one that they could definitely use. There was almost no way that Hans would be able to find the trolls unless they were followed, plus they could check in on Kristoff's family.

"That sounds great, you two ride Sven and I'll trail behind you two."

"We can wait for you to get a horse or something."

Edward smirked a bit before shrugging. Thanks to his training, he could use more of his body's strength and speed. While he still couldn't use any of Wrath's more powerful abilities because of the low amount of power they possessed. He could, however, move significantly faster than an average person and not tire. "Don't worry about me, I can keep up."

The married couple looked at him for a moment before nodding and mounting Sven to begin their journey to the Valley of the Living Rock. They looked behind them to see Edward on their heels keeping up without any difficulty and spurred the reindeer on faster. None of them aware of someone watching them leave before closing her book and finally stepping off the ship.

Sloth took her time glancing around Arendelle and thought that it was quite quaint. She would have prefered to take her time with what she had planned but couldn't afford to. Hans was already at the castle and gave the council member from Blackdust evidence that Garret Sobel had a hand in the death of the royal line of the Southern Isles as well as Rahim's katana. She needed to move quickly to enact her plan, she was already feeling somewhat strained from her earlier encounter, if she wasn't in time then things could become very bothersome later down the road.

"I've no time to waste, it's time I visited an old acquaintance."

With that, she walked down the plank and toward the direction of the gate to the village. She already knew where the trolls were and had no desire or reason to seek them out. All she was interested in was a lone farm that stuck out on the outskirts of Arendelle where she could see a little girl carrying a basket of tomatoes back inside her home. Walking up to the door, the Sin knocked and was greeted by the sight of the little girl again. Crouching down so that she was eye to eye with the little girl, Sloth gave her a small smile.

"Hello sweetie, is your dad home?"

* * *

Elsa fought _extremely _hard to keep her face neutral after what she just heard. It _never _occurred to her that Mr. Sobel would conspire to have a hand in the recent regicides. She was so worried that he might try to take advantage of her and Edward that she hadn't taken steps to prevent him from doing something like this. She wondered when he could've set this in motion. She had only met him after the assassinations and attack on the Southern Isles, could he have waited until everything was in place before revealing himself? She shook her head, that wasn't the most pressing issue at this time, she still had an angry dignitary waving around a sheathed weapon.

"Sir, I can assure you that Arendelle has made _no _plans of attack against _any_ kingdom. This man Garret Sobel was a confidant of my father and is now recently a source of information for me. Since becoming said source, I've had him under surveillance and limited him from roaming around without supervision. I would also like to point out that His Majesty has made multiple attempts against my throne and has almost killed me twice, whatever he claims to be true I have a hard time believing given our history."

Hans started to chuckle from his prison as he turned his head as much as he could to fix her with an amused expression. "While you are correct, Your Majesty that I have tried to assassinate you and take your throne, you forget that I've only done that to secure a throne of my own. Now that I have one, I have no reason to quarrel with you anymore. There is also the fact that my brother _was _killed in Arendelle when he was supposed to be under your protection and that my life has also been threatened all by the same man wearing a distinct set of armor as well as a concerning blade. Many of my men as well as those from Weselton fell to this one man, the only reason we were able to recover his weapon was because when he tried to escape by ship, we managed to catch up to it. I was told that the man could not be found anywhere, only his weapon as well as reports on where my other brothers were seen, as well as a letter reporting his progress to a man named Garret Sobel. The name would've meant nothing to me if not for correspondance my father had with the late King of Arendelle."

Elsa's eyes widened as she turned to look at the red haired King with a surprised expression. She had no idea that her father communicated the existence of Mr. Sobel to anyone, given the nature of tasks the man had done for the late monarch.

"One of the letters sent to my father asked for any information about a man named Garret Sobel who had come from Blackdust and was supposedly versed in witchcraft. The man had made a small stop in the Southern Isles to conduct some 'research' as my father described. All he did was study minerals from some of our mines which wasn't out of the ordinary. Until one day, one of those mines collapsed and it killed everyone inside. When my father's soldiers set out to help clear it, Mr. Sobel calmly walked out of the mine with half of his body crushed and they watched him heal in a matter of moments. He was instantly brought to the King to be questioned on how this was possible. All the man said was that it was something that shouldn't be trifled with and booked passage to Arendelle the next day."

The blonde's eyes narrowed as she took a step forward and gave the King a steady glare as she found a flaw in his story. "My father has told me time and time again that your father valued strength and having the weak being oppressed by the strong. I'm sure that if someone with the ability to heal himself after such an injury would not simply be left alone to leave. I'm quite certain your father would have him imprisoned to learn his secrets or at least warn mine as to the danger that this man could pose."

Hans didn't bat an eye as he spoke. "You're right, my father did try to keep in the Southern Isles to learn his secrets. He sent soldiers to detain him but they were unsuccessful. When they returned, their faces had haunted looks as if something had happened. They explained that he had repelled them and sent them back with a message. 'I warned you that this was something that shouldn't be trifled with. Any more attempts to interfere with my life and the same fate as these men will befall your entire family.' As soon as the soldiers finished delivering the message, they all killed themselves right there in the throne room. When I took over the throne, I found a discarded letter in my father's handwriting that was supposed to be sent off to your father. It told this story and warned him of the danger that this man possessed. The letter was never sent, likely out of fear that Mr. Sobel would find out. It could stand to reason that after so long, he feels that his life here has been compromised and as such, decided to make good on his threat."

The council member remained silent as he took all of this in with a pensive expression. Both monarchs had made compelling arguments that they were telling the truth. Frankly he could care less about what was going on between them. What was important for him was to find out if Rahim was in contact with this man Garret Sobel, if he was then they could lure the traitor out. He had brought thirty Mystic Guard members with him this time who were all very capable warriors. Even if this dangerous man had some healing ability, the council member was sure they could detain him. Then they could use him to get to Rahim and have him captured.

While it was no secret that the traitor was able to take out twenty members at once, with there being a King here that already had a grudge against the man, he could reinforce his soldiers with men from the Southern Isles. Also if the Ice Queen truly did wish for peace, then she would likely commit her own soldiers to one; clear her of any suspicion of working with this man and two; uphold the peace in her own kingdom.

All they had to do was just see this Garret Sobel.

A few knocks at the door to the throne room gathered everyone's attention. Slightly on guard that something else was coming, Elsa hesitates while briefly looking at Hans to see he too was curious to see who was at the door. With a nod and a hand ready to freeze whoever came in, she couldn't help her jaw from dropping as Mr. Sobel walked in behind Ahimoth as well as a woman with raven colored hair.

The alchemist bowed his head as he came to stand a few feet away from her. "Greetings Your Majesty, Garret Sobel, at your service."

* * *

Ahimoth was currently standing at the castle gate as he alternated his gaze between each of the Mystic Guard members who had been stationed in Arendelle for a mission. He had heard their reports and observations of what they saw in the Southern Isles. It seemed that there had been a battle at the kingdom and that Weselton forces still remained there. A sizable one, he'd been told.

As he said before, diplomacy was to be used first before plans for war, however the soldier in him couldn't help pointing out that they had quite the force not too far away from Arendelle. Both of which had an axe to grind with the current monarch. It wouldn't take long for them to set sail for Arendelle and attack if that is what they wanted. He planned on bringing this up with Elsa later to hopefully warn her just in case, he would have suggested that they have soldiers patrolling the waters just in case but that wasn't his call to make.

When his father returned from hunting Rakat's army in Corona, then the call could be made. Until then, Ahimoth could only advise and react defensively. Ordering attacks or authorizing movement of a large number of their forces was something for a King to decide.

He still had that feeling that something bad was coming but he still had no idea where it was coming from. The circumstances of why he was here was pretty concerning but he lucked out to learn that Edward wasn't in the village at the moment. He also was satisfied knowing that Wrath hadn't gone on another killing spree so he didn't have to regret just banishing him and not having him executed. Hopefully, the council member would find that nothing here was of worth and would call off the search for Rahim's armor and katana so they could return home and he could finally finalize the details for his wedding.

The thought made him bristle in anger, he heard that the Princess of Arendelle had just gotten married recently. He remembered that she wasn't even betrothed when they met yet already had her wedding. If stupid situations didn't keep popping up, he would've been married too and he would probably be focusing on getting Lilian pregnant right now. How he wished that all of his problems could be solved so simply and all at once.

He shook his head, life was never that easy. He had to deal with things one at a time. First, he needed to make sure that the council member had no evidence that Rahim was in Arendelle. If he did that then the risk of the council trying to usurp the throne out of concern that they weren't doing what was best for the kingdom would basically evaporate. After that was done, he could focus on finding the armor and katana as well as that soldier Ian. The Prince still held out some hope that he could be reasoned with and become a wealth of information on the mastermind that orchestrated the death of his comrades.

"Your Highness, there is someone here to see you."

Ahimoth sighed irritably and was about to turn around to address that Mystic Guard member about titles when his heart skipped a beat when they saw who just walked through the castle gates. The way the glint in his glasses that covered his eyes could only belong to one man. The Prince was sure he wasn't seeing things but his mind refused to accept who was right in front of him.

Talib of the Tainted Wisdom was killed in Blackdust by assassins sent by Father. He had seen the body himself and confirmed the man was dead. His father even buried the alchemist after a few days and there was no way that he wouldn't notice the body being switched out. Yet here the man was with a neutral expression on his face as he raised his head to look at the large man.

"Hello Your Highness, Garret Sobel, at your service." The man took a small bow as he spoke, drawing another confused look from the Prince. Ahimoth's mouth opened and closed a few times as he really tried to make sense of the man in front of him. While the idea of someone coming back from the dead was not foreign to him, what made it odd was that the man in front of him was not the one who was killed in Blackdust.

Talib was an aloof asshole who wouldn't interact with anyone unless it was for business or furthered his goals. He also didn't care for rank as well as titles and talked to every single person in the same condescending tone that made it seem like it was beneath him to speak with someone else. The irritable sighs and displeased expressions he gave people when he addressed them was also a usual sight on his face that was never absent whenever the Prince had seen the man.

However this Garret Sobel, was quite different. For one, he was polite and actually respected that the large man was a Prince. His voice lacked any trace of superiority, he just had a conversational tone. His face gave away nothing yet as did the alchemist but didn't have an ounce of disdain in it. He seemed to be a different person but Ahimoth still couldn't believe it. Perhaps the same thing that happened to Rahim happened to Talib?

"I thought you were dead."

Mr. Sobel tilted his head to the side for a moment, seemingly confused and looked ready to ask a question when another voice spoke up behind him. "If you're talking about Talib that was in Blackdust, then yes he's dead. The person before you now is not him yet is connected to my teacher."

The two men turned to see Mary walking up to them with a tired look on her face and her signature book in her hand. The larger of the two narrowed his eyes at her and the five soldiers next to him all readied their weapons and aimed them at the woman. "Well well if it isn't Mary Lawson. Brilliant mind and the only one who that twisted fuck Talib actually had an interest in. You know, there's a warrant out for your arrest given that you disappeared the same time as Rakat's army did. Many say that you decided to abandon your teacher and betray your kingdom, yet here you are with a man that looks like your departed alchemist in a kingdom on the verge of allying with your home."

The woman reached up and adjusted her glasses making them glint in the same way as the man next to her. "I suppose you could say there is some truth to that. I did leave Blackdust to follow Rakat's forces but I never made any moves against Blackdust, too much effort to do so. I've been keeping up with current events so I know about most of your troubles already. That's why I'm here, actually."

Ahimoth scoffed as he took a step forward to get in her space and leaned down so that the two of them were eye level and he could see past her glasses to look her dead in the eye. "Oh, and how do you plan on helping me? Do you happen to have Rahim's armor set and weapon under that coat of yours, or perhaps you plan on telling me where Rakat's forces are? Which by the way, I already know where a majority of them are anyway."

"Thanks to Wrath right? Excuse me, I mean Edward, that is what he calls himself nowadays right?" The large man narrowed his eyes and shot the woman a glare to warn her to be very careful about her next words but to continue speaking.

"Yes, I am aware of the Sin being based here. Father hasn't figured that out yet so for now he's relatively safe. That's not how I plan to help you. Right about now, your council member has likely received Rahim's katana from the King of the Southern Isles as well as a letter containing the locations of all the Southern Isles Princes. It was addressed to Mr. Sobel here in an attempt to cause distrust between Arendelle and its allies. Firstly I can assure you that Garret didn't have a hand in the rash of regicides, instead Father planned to frame him so he could be taken out of the picture."

"What would Father have to gain by killing this guy, aren't they on the same side?" Mr. Sobel let out a sigh and looked away with a drained and pained expression on his face as he let the woman answer.

"Yes and no, you see Father has been steadily getting rid of anyone who could pose a threat to his plans. Whether they be allies or not. It's the reason why he had Talib killed in Blackdust and why he's trying to have Garret take the fall for the assassinations. It's because the two of them know the exact nature of Father's abilities and he can't risk too many of them being out in the world right now. I myself am likely on his hit list but he has no idea where I am and I plan on keeping it that way. Right now, we cannot allow Garret to be removed from Arendelle, he will be needed soon. I know who was the one who killed all those Princes and will tell you anything you wish to know about Father as well as what he is planning but I need you convince the council member to have Mr. Sobel remains here."

Ahimoth took all of this in with an unreadable expression before standing back to his full height and turning to face the man who was still looking away. "And why should I help him when I know nothing about him? If you're lying and he is the one who ordered their deaths, then bringing him in could help prevent an international incident."

Garret turned to face the Prince with a solemn face. "That's right, you do not know me. If you had the slightest idea of how my life has gone you wouldn't ask why you should help me. We're not asking you to help me, we're asking you to help the innocent people here and back in Blackdust. Do you think that the King of the Southern Isles just _happened _upon Rahim's katana, one that was stolen from right under your noses? It was _given _to him. He was to use it to disrupt the trust between Arendelle and Blackdust which would cause you to see the Southern Isles as a more beneficial trade partner, then Hans would use his other ace up his sleeve to blackmail the Queen to keep her from removing his kingdom from the alliance. Blackdust needs more allies and resources, the Southern Isles could provide that easily and keep you dependent on them enough to the point they would use you for your militaristic might."

Ahimoth considered the idea and found it upsetting that it actually made sense, a _lot _of sense. Personally, he knew that himself and his father would never just switch allies like that but the council would, especially if they thought Arendelle was harboring a traitor. There was also the fact that Blackdust wasn't in the alliance yet so joining with the Southern Isles who might have an ally with Weselton wouldn't bring war to his home. The alliance might consider action against the Southern Isles but if they could prove that Arendelle was responsible for the regicides of their royal line then Arendelle would be the one that would suffer. Which would work out for Hans who likely still wanted revenge against the Snow Queen.

If he did what Mary asked then he would be playing a dangerous game, one misstep could spell tragedy for his home. There was still the matter of the assassin, they had to deal with that and prove that it wasn't Rahim. However, he supposed he could table that matter for later. Right now if the council member did have the katana in his possession and was losing hope in Arendelle then the Prince needed to hurry.

"It's going to take a miracle to prove that Sobel here wasn't involved in their assassinations if they really do have a letter addressed to him."

Mary adjusted her glasses again to hide her tired eyes. "Not to worry, I've already made the preparations. Be warned though, Queen Elsa will still be blackmailed into making no moves against the Southern Isles, you cannot interfere with that outcome. Should you do so, then things will become even messier." Ahimoth scowled at the warning, nevertheless he nodded as he motioned for them to follow inside into the castle.

* * *

Everyone in the throne room regarded Mr. Sobel with varying expressions. Surprise was among them as well as suspicion that he chose now to appear in front of them given the story that Hans had told as well as what he might've been suspected to be a part of. The council member was the first to snap out of his stupor as he whirled on the Prince who stood at attention immediately.

"Prince Ahimoth, arrest this man at once! He is suspected of being the mastermind behind the deaths of the royal line of the Southern Isles!" The large man calmly lifted his hand to stave off the council member's anger.

"There has been a new development, it has come to my attention that Mr. Sobel here was not actually the one to head up the assassinations. If you would take a closer look at the man and tell me if he reminds you of someone from back home." The council member raised an eyebrow before focusing intently on the man next to him for a moment before his eyes widened as he took a step back while raising a finger.

"What dark magic is this?! You're dead. We saw your body brought into the throne room by Pride and left there. There was no sign of life in that body and it was confirmed to be yours, how are you _here_?!" Elsa and Hans looked confused at the council member's words but remained silent as they were interested in the bespectacled man's response.

"Ah you, must be referring to Talib. You say he's dead, well that's a surprise. I honestly did not see my twin brother dying any time soon." The council member looked stupefied for a moment before he brushed off the expression and let out a huff of indignation.

"You cannot seriously expect me to believe that you are his twin brother! Talib has had no record of having _any _family besides his two sons. One of which has served the kingdom faithfully and has not mentioned once having any other family." The raven haired woman took a step forward to answer in Garret's stead.

"Well if you remembered, Talib wasn't really someone who confided into anyone about his personal life. I'm sure there's not even a record of his wife who was killed sometime ago-" Elsa didn't miss the flinch that Mr. Sobel had when the woman mentioned the alchemist's wife. "-as for Shahbaz who now goes by Pride, he had very little reason to speak of other family members when he was looking out for his little brother. I'm sure you know of Talib's methods and habits when it came to his two sons. Can you really blame Pride for not saying anything about an uncle?"

The council member then took a closer look at the woman before his eyes widened and he finally recognized her. "You're Mary Lawson, his assistant…"

"And the person who knew him best. You see, him and Mr. Sobel had a falling out years ago that left things between them quite tense. Before I left during the civil war, Talib had a few side projects that were in the works that I happened to see. One of them was plans to make a new type of weapon. A soldier, who could in theory fight and recover from any wound as well as have extraordinary abilities. He got the idea from Garret here who had succeeded many years ago but unfortunately lost the means to replicate the results."

Mary turned to the trapped King who looked at her curiously and spoke to him. "When you were attacked by this mysterious soldier that was suspected of killing off your brothers, did he have any extraordinary abilities?"

Hans remained silent for a moment as if he was weighing his options on how to answer before finally doing so. "Yes, he evaporated into dust right in front of my soldiers and blew away with the wind. We could not find any trace of him in the kingdom. We were only able to get the very little evidence we do have by searching the ships that were trying to leave."

"I see, and he used a weapon of a known traitor who happened to be the nephew of Mr. Sobel is that correct."

"I never got an exact name, all I was told was that that katana was a one of a kind weapon and the armor was the uniform of Blackdust's Mystic Guard."

Mary nodded before turning back to the council member who still looked at her with suspicion. "Seems quite fortunate that someone with the ability to disappear into thin air left their weapon as well as evidence that would implicate their employer wouldn't you agree. Almost like someone _wanted _to have Mr. Sobel take the fall for the deaths of Princes in another land. It would also put Arendelle in an unfavorable position for housing the mastermind and would help alienate the kingdom. As I'm sure you have already, you know that Talib has expressed an interest in Queen Elsa. A subject he found to be… what were his words… '_To Be Determined'_ you know as well as I, how much Talib hated to have his projects unfinished."

The woman turned to the Queen who was certainly looking somewhat uncomfortable about the direction this conversation was going. "Your Majesty, there have been rumors that a few months ago, you were kidnapped from your castle. Forgive but for someone of your abilities to be kidnapped would take a massive force to accomplish but so far as the rumor goes, it was in the dead of night without anyone noticing. Not many people could pull off kidnapping an Elemental, a _Queen _at that. It would take quite a few men from Blackdust's Mystic Guard to pull that off, but the Prince was there that night and said that all of his men remained on the ship. Perhaps you could give us more details as to how your kidnapper managed to abduct you?"

Elsa didn't speak for a moment, she was intensely considering how the woman in front of her would know all of these things. It was like she was there or had been a part of it in some way. While the blonde was grateful that the subject shifted away from Arendelle harboring a killer and the notion that Mr. Sobel being the mastermind of the assassinations was thrown into question, she still felt that this Mary woman had this already planned.

"It was one man, he managed to slip into the castle and had no fear of my abilities. He also was able survive a gunshot wound to the head as well as create weapons out of thin air that were real."

Mary hummed in a satisfied manner before turning to the council member. "If I'm correct Talib was alive around the time of Her Majesty's kidnapping. If what the two monarchs are saying are true and these soldiers with these fantastic abilities do exist, then where do you think they came from? Keep in mind that out of most kingdoms in this part of the world, Blackdust has had the most experience dealing with Elementals. If Her Majesty's kidnapper had no fear of her abilities then it would stand to reason he was trained to not fear them. It wouldn't take much to send one of these soldiers to Arendelle to bring the Queen to Blackdust so he could finish his experiment and have Garret here take the fall should anyone ever find out."

The council member remained silent before a thought occurred to him that he voiced immediately. "If what you say is true and Talib did have the means to create these soldiers, then why aren't there any in our military now? Many of that man's scientific breakthroughs were used in our army, why hold out this one?"

"Who said he did?"

The council member shut his mouth as the woman spoke the next few words.

"How do you think Pride single handedly destroy many pockets of Rakat's army without returning home for more troops? Don't get me wrong, the man is amazingly skilled, possibly the most skilled fighter that Blackdust has ever produced, yet humans do have limits. When's the last time you've seen so much as a wound on his body?"

The council member's eyes widened as he remembered an incident that had happened some time ago. He happened to be passing the throne room when he heard a large explosion that shook the castle. He peeked his head to investigate, he was surprised to see Pride standing in front of the alchemist with his clothes completely burned off. Yet there wasn't a burn on any of his skin. He remembered Lilian trying to conjure another fireball but that's when he saw it.

He thought it might've been his eyes playing tricks on him, but he watched as _something _washed over Pride for a quick moment before he moved faster than any human should. He easily crossed the distance between them and had her suspended over his head. He didn't know how it was possible for someone to move so fast in an instant and thought maybe he had imagined it and just wrote it off.

Maybe he wasn't seeing things and Pride was one of these soldiers that Talib could've made. The rather disturbing reports they found in his lap referenced the human body quite frequently and they had discovered plenty of corpses. More and more evidence seemed to back up that the alchemist had created these soldiers. While it still didn't clear Garret of being responsible for the deaths of the Southern Isles Princes, it did warrant an investigation.

He turned to the bespectacled man and gave him a piercing glare. "While there are some things that point to you being responsible, there's enough evidence to have doubt that you are. The only way we can truly clear you of suspicion is if we capture that soldier who killed those Princes and force him to tell us who he was working for. You may not be the man we are looking for, however, it's clear that you know more than a bystander should. If Talib really got the idea of creating such a weapon from you and the late King of the Southern Isles' concerns are real then you are partly responsible for this mess."

Mr. Sobel bowed his head apologetically. "It was not my intention to have my work be used so perversely. I will do whatever I can in my power to help you remedy this situation."

"All that leaves is catching that soldier. If he has already made an attempt on the King of the Southern Isles, it's likely he will attempt to do so again. I think it would be productive if we kept HIs Majesty here to use him to lure out this killer and capture him."

Elsa instantly disagreed expressing that she wanted Hans out of her kingdom as soon as possible. As for Hans, he mulled around the suggestion in his head for a moment. Despite everything the woman said, she left out the _names _and whereabouts of the soldiers that she described. The journal he carried allowed him to instantly identify which soldier that was described. He now knew that Zavis was named Envy since he could create weapons, Greed's real name was Ian Cavaliere, and Edward; the man who made everything fall apart was actually Rahim who was made into Wrath. That meant he _still _had leverage against the Snow Queen to keep her from excommunicating the Southern Isles from her alliance. All he had to do was threaten to reveal Edward's identity to the council member and then he'd have her in the palm of his hand.

Personally, he didn't want to stay in Arendelle as bait for a killer who was targeting his royal line. Even though he knew it was Greed and knew that the man wouldn't want him killed, he wanted him heading back home to plan for the invasion. Yet staying here could open up new opportunities for him to further his goals as well as cement his relationship with Blackdust. The Prince hated him too much for involving that other Elemental but from the few conversations that he had with the council member, the council in Blackdust felt the current monarchy wasn't fit to rule.

How beneficial would it be if he could get on their side and have them side with him whenever he came with them for a request. Normally he would've planned on killing the monarchy but that was out of the question with the Prince as well as the King. Both of them had reputations for being in a class of their own when it came to battle and the Prince was already watching him like a hawk. He couldn't afford to make any suspicious moves around him.

"While I do wish that this man is captured so my brother's souls may rest, I don't feel particularly safe in Arendelle. One of my brothers was already killed by this man while under the Queen's protection. What guarantee do I have that Her Majesty won't leave my security lax and allow myself to be murdered?" Elsa's eyes hardened as she was about to deny such a claim when Ahimoth spoke after keeping his mouth shut for so long.

"You won't be under her protection. You'll be under _mine. _I've known Rahim for a long time, if this person is him and not some imposter using his weapons and armor, then I will know exactly what to look for as well as be able to combat him. With the addition of my men here, we will be able to capture him. All you have to do is stay on your ship and do what I say." The large man glared at the trapped man daring him to argue. Hans remained silent as he once again considered the suggestion before putting on an easy smile.

"Alright, if I have the Prince of Blackdust who was hailed as a hero in many battles, protecting me then I should have nothing to fear. Is there any way Her Majesty could release me, I do believe my socks are beginning to become wet." Everyone turned to the blonde woman who didn't look happy that Hans was going to stay and watched her wave a hand and defrost him.

"I will also have a portion of my guards stationed around your ship to assist in guarding you. You will be well _protected _while you stay here and you will not be alone _not for a single moment._"

* * *

It didn't take long for all of them to arrive in the Valley of the Living Rock. Kristoff and Anna were surprised to see that Edward had managed to keep up with Sven the entire time and not look that tired from doing so. When he explained what he had been through with Stonewell, they looked happy to know that he was a bit more accepting of what he was. The four of them entered the valley and were instantly barraged by a swarm of trolls who looked happy to see the newlyweds.

While the couple and Sven got doted on, Edward went over to Grand Pabbie who looked at him with an appraising look. "There's something different about you."

"I spent some time finding a sense of balance."

"I see, that is very good. Hopefully it'll be useful for what's to come."

"What do you mean by that?"

The older troll looked troubled for a moment before he created a small image between his hands. In the image was a breeze of something blowing around until it formed a person then it changed to one person releasing something from their body and it made other bodies that did what the person commanded.

"There are two more of you who are here, and I'm certain at least one of them means you harm."

* * *

**Hey guys sorry for the long update, I've been working for three weeks straight and honestly just wanted a day to myself to JUST sleep. I did that all day yesterday when I really wanted to play Gears Tactics and Bloodborne but I'll probably be roped into work tomorrow. Anyway I hope you enjoyed this chapter that more or less ties up some ends and brings up some good points. **

**I'm SURE you will enjoy the next two chapters because personally I've been dying to write them since I thought them up. Anyway if you wish to contact me please leave a review or pm me. **


	44. Chapter 44

**Hey guys I just hit 30,000 views WOO!**

**Quick shoutouts to ****CharlieFreemantheJumperch** **for the follow/favorite**

**Also another special shoutout to ****FLuX KING** **for the very encouraging review. And i do know how much time College takes away from you, I definitely feel your pain and really apprecieate you think this is a quality fanfiction. **

* * *

Edward stared up into the sky as he thought back to Grand Pabbie's warning. The troll had said that there were two more people like him here, and one of them meant him harm. He briefly thought that perhaps Zavis had returned for revenge but ruled that out when the elder had shown him those images. At first, he didn't understand them until he thought about Envy. The way the hunter materialized weapons out of black dust helped him get a better idea of what the images were.

He could see that one of them was able to somehow turn themselves into black dust and reform into different places. The other could perhaps create other bodies to do their bidding. Both scenarios were problematic when he considered what they could be used for. If someone could just appear out of thin air right next to him, they could attack at any time and escape before he could properly fight them. There was also the idea that someone could just send puppets after him and he would get nowhere fighting them if they could just create more.

There would have to be limits to their abilities as he had. Like the amount of energy it would take to sustain their abilities as well as the particular drawbacks that they might have. The problem was, he couldn't know them unless they themselves outright told him or someone who knew would tell him.

The young man sighed, he was so looking forward to just resting and seeing Elsa. When he sent the other guards back to the castle to reinforce her guard, he had one of them tell her that he took her sister to see Kristoff's family. No one but her, Gerda, and Kai, would know that the mountain man was raised by trolls and that they were in the valley. He hoped that perhaps she would come out here in the dead of night to see them but there was no sign of her. He supposed that she couldn't leave and lead anyone to them, plus she needed to keep an eye on her guests.

Edward had told himself probably a hundred times that she had plenty of people watching out for her. Stonewell was basically impossible to get past and there was Ahimoth as well who would be watching the King's every move. The young man knew that she should be safe but _something _kept egging at him. He let out another huff and felt the reindeer he was laying against grumble at him.

Both he and Sven had opted to stay near the entrance to the valley after the trolls allowed them to stay for the night. The newlyweds were further in, when they were getting sleeping arrangements, the reindeer instantly went off in the opposite direction of the mountain man. This made Edward raise an eyebrow in confusion since he rarely ever saw the two of them be seperated. The large animal turned around and gave him a long look with his eyebrow raised that made his mind click and had him following the reindeer.

At first, the young man had begun pacing the entrance looking in the direction of Arendelle every few minutes. The worry on his face must've been plain because he heard a grunt come from the animal laying on the ground. Edward turned around to see Sven giving him a look that somehow expressed that he needed to calm down.

"Sven come on, you know I can't relax. Elsa is sleeping right now with _Hans _nearby. He could be sneaking in her room right now to do away with her." He knew that reindeers couldn't talk and that he had no intentions of speaking for the mammal but it felt _minisculely _better to express his worries out loud to something that was alive. Even if it would most likely be a one sided conversation that wouldn't grant him any suggestions.

The reindeer gave him an unamused look on his face that _somehow _expressed how ludicrous his worries were. The two of them both knew that Elsa was surrounded by loyal soldiers who all knew the threat that the King possessed. They would all likely be watching him and her like a hawk to make sure nothing happened. Edward knew that and even told himself that but still, he had a feeling something was going to happen.

"Yeah yeah, I know that she's completely surrounded by guards. It's just that I can _feel _something is off and that I should be next to her right now. I'm going crazy just imagining all of the things that could go wrong."

The animal gave him a snarky grin before making some sounds as if he was chuckling. Edward narrowed his eyes in disbelief and was about to ask what was so funny when the reindeer nodded at him then in direction of Arendelle, waited a moment, then toward the valley where the newlyweds were. On any given day besides today, Edward would have _no _idea what the reindeer was referring to. Sven was a _reindeer, _contrary to Kristoff's belief, they could not talk or offer advice. That was the rational part of his brain telling him that, yet _somehow _he gathered that Sven was pointing that he and Elsa were like Anna and Kristoff.

Edward wanted to wave the reindeer off as he remembered that he and Elsa never told the newlyweds how much _closer _they had gotten. Following their night of the ball, the young man tried to act as normal as possible to not give anything away but it seemed that the reindeer knew. It was a ridiculous theory and again, on _any _given day, he would've denied it but today he found himself sighing.

"Ok maybe my feelings are making me paranoid but how can you expect me not to worry? This is _Hans _we're talking about! He almost came close to killing her twice! I don't want him to make 'third time's the charm' more credible."

The reindeer made a series of grunts and facials expressions that would've made no sense to anyone else. Yet once again, _somehow _Edward was able to get that Sven was telling him that he needed to have faith that things would be alright. That Elsa had trusted him with her sister and that she would be fine with the men already in place. That she had faith in him to keep anything from happening to her sister. Worrying all about the blonde would just drive him crazy and wouldn't help at all. All he could do was just do what was asked of him and leave everything to the guards that _he _had trained for just the occasion.

The young man didn't know what was more mind boggling. The fact that he just had a conversation with a _reindeer _and understood what he was saying; or the fact that he felt somewhat better after someone telling him to just have faith.

"Alright, fine, you have a point. She should have plenty of security to handle anything that Hans could throw at her. Plus she isn't exactly helpless and Stonewell is there too. Not to mention all my students who have really been coming into their own, even that asshat Hector is there to protect her." Sven gave off a happy grunt that had Edward walking over and scratching the animal's head.

"Thanks Sven. Kristoff's lucky to have you watching his back." The young man turned to possibly go and find a patch of moss to sleep on but felt something solid hit the back of his knees. Before he could turn and see what it was, the object jerked forward and sweeped his legs out from under him until he landed on something large and warm.

Edward instantly knew what had happened and was about to shoot the reindeer with a raised eyebrow look but could already see the reindeer's head laying on the ground. Shaking his head and resigning himself to his new sleeping mat, he crossed arms and decided to look up in the sky at the stars for a while before going to sleep.

While his paranoia had begun to settle after his talk with Sven, that ever present feeling that something was off still plagued him. Finally at wit's end, he decided to ask Wrath if he also felt that something was wrong. Maybe the demon was the source of the feeling, if he was then Edward would feel immensely better that it was aimed at him rather than the blonde.

"Hey Wrath, you feeling that something is off?"

For a while, there was no answer. Edward was about to grow annoyed when he thought that the demon was giving him the silent treatment when he finally heard an answer.

"_...Yes. It's vague, but there is something here. I don't know when it started but I know that before we left for Stonewell's training exercise it wasn't there, but it's here now."_

"Any idea what it could be?"

"_None, whatever it is, there's no way of knowing where it's coming from unless it decides it's time."_

"So it could be a person?"

"_Or thing. There's no way of knowing until the time is right."_

Edward frowned as he huffed again. "Well that's real helpful so all I can do now is sit here twiddling my thumbs is that it?"

"_No, it would be more beneficial to rest. The last time you slept was the night before hearing that story from the old man. That was two days ago. Despite how much energy you have, remember that you still can't use any of my abilities and require rest to replenish your body's strength."_

"Oh and what about you? Now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever known you to sleep. Why don't you take your own advice and rest?"

"_Because I'm just a soul, I have no physical requirements that need to be met to sustain my life force. Unless you die and it destroys the stone which anchors me to this body, I will continue to live on… besides. Unlike you, I can't turn off the cries of wrath from all who have come before you, they are a constant reminder of what I am as well as where my power comes from. Sleep requires one to find a certain peace that I will likely never be able to attain."_

Edward said nothing at the rather curt answers he was given. He once again got the feeling that Wrath was a tortured victim and that the demon even regretted the course his life had taken. Part of the young man wanted to say something but nothing came to mind, so he remained silent. He wondered what Elsa would think if she could hear the conversation he was having. She'd likely say something to comfort Wrath with her infinite kindness but he on the other hand could offer nothing. What made it odd was that in his own mind, there was a resigned feeling towards what he heard. Like he just accepted it and had no other choice to move on and not think about it.

Which was why Edward found himself closing his eyes and trying to find a semblance of peace so that he could fall asleep. It really didn't take as long as he thought it would as he felt his consciousness beginning to waver until finally he let go of any connection to the physical world and fell asleep. Leaving Wrath alone to wander the rows and rows of weapons as he has done before.

* * *

The predator was aware of the exact moment that Edward drifted off as he once again sat down on some stone steps and looked up in the only light in the darkness. It was during these rare moments when he was totally alone did Wrath could actually process these feelings that had begun to awaken in him. The wails of anger and resentment that flowed from each weapon brought on a sense of guilt that confounded him.

Never before had it ever occurred to him that what he was ordered to do was wrong. He has been around killing for many many years and he never once questioned if the person who he slayed deserved it. They were all warriors, they were trained to kill their opponents, and could defend themselves. He told himself these things yet still wondered if killing them was necessary.

Wrath traced the moment when this line of thinking first appeared in his mind and more or less guessed it was around the time Edward left Rakat's army. Probably when he killed that woman that had a striking resemblance to Rahim's mother. He remembered that day, his soul felt like it was being torn from the inside out, Wrath felt his mind explode that day.

_Nothing _made sense after that moment.

The only thought that was present was to run, and so he did. He ran far, so far away that no human could catch him. Hell, no _Sin _could've kept up with him with how fast he was going. When he finally stopped, his mind was still in shambles. He was pure instinct for a long time with only a few times he could actually be capable of rational thought.

He _did _remember that woman-Irina.

There were some memory flashes of her every so often that made him feel something he didn't know what it was at the time. He remembered poking at Edward's consciousness for some reason. If he was being honest, Wrath had no idea why he wanted to take over the young man's body anymore. At first it was instinct, like he _needed _to for something. That instinct led him to regain the ability to think, to plan out a way to wrestle control from the young man who had felt guilt for his actions.

However, the more time they spent in Arendelle, that instinct to take over waned considerably. There were traces of it; enough for him to keep Edward from ratting out Rakat's army to Ahimoth, try to subtly take him over when he returned to his room, and to say that he would to anyone that asked. Yet ever since that night he was able to speak with Elsa without the young man knowing, his mind began to burn with more questions.

The first and forefront in his mind at that moment was what power did the blonde have over him? She was a constant presence in his mind, the bright light in the darkness of his soul was proof that she had breached his mind and now was in _his soul. _It bothered him for a time but eventually he learned to accept it. At first, he wanted to kill her, solely because she had an influence on Edward and that she was a threat to Father. It made sense to kill her yet even when he tried he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Another question was if Grand Pabbie was right in his theory that he and Edward were one in the same. That devouring the young man's soul was impossible because they were only one soul. The troll had said the only reason they hadn't become one was because neither of them believed that they could be the same. Edward definitely drew a distinction between him and Wrath, yet the demon on the other hand, hadn't put much thought into that.

To a point, he accepted the possibility that it might be true and made a wager on it. That when Father arrived if Edward could overcome his influence, then the demon would relinquish all control and just become power. That was the end of that line of thought for the longest time until Stonewell took them up that mountain and almost killed Edward. The demon gave the young man some hints as to where the old man would strike but when he got pinned, something happened.

It was after the Captain had made his intentions plain.

The world around them had froze and Wrath could feel that something was coming. To his surprise, what came out was a copy of Edward looking down at him. For a moment Wrath thought his eyes were playing a trick on him but the copy spoke and surprisingly said things that showed that the demon had nothing to do with him. The copy spoke with leisure like he wasn't about to be killed and that Edward needed to grasp the situation that he was in. Then as the copy left to go back to wherever he came from, the young man asked something that also surprised the demon.

He asked the copy if he was Wrath.

Wrath was still inside Edward's body and was about to speak aloud to deny the possibility but the copy already spoke first. It said that he was Wrath yet asked what is it that you see. The obvious answer was that he saw Edward's body speaking saying he was Wrath and being completely ok with it. Like the situation about him about to die didn't phase him at all and that he pointed out that he had a free arm to save himself. After that brief moment passed and Edward saved himself and finally was able to let go then speak to Wrath, something changed between them. The usual resistance between them had greatly lessened. So much in fact that Edward began to move like he was more than just a human without using any of the small amount of power they had left.

After that, Wrath began to think back to his wager he put against himself. He began to wonder that if he were to relinquish all thought and become just power, would it really _just _be Edward. That copy had come from _somewhere, _the demon doubted that it came from the young man because he was just as confused as well to see the being. Perhaps it was a combination of them both and what they _could _be but it was a theory. It also made him wonder if he _wanted _Father to regain control of them.

The freedom he had now was liberating and it was nice to know he could almost do whatever he pleased. He stayed in the dark courtyard just as a habit because it was all he knew but if Wrath really wanted to, he could take control of the young man's body and go for a walk. Edward might throw a fit about it but it was nice to know he could and no one could force him to obey an oppressive force that bared down on his soul until he felt like he was suffocating. It made him question what _he _would do when Father tried to exert his will over them.

Instinctively, he answered that he would assist Father and do what he was told but the more he thought about it, the more he saw himself doing the opposite. He began to actually _consider _a future where he and Edward remained as they were forever. It wasn't perfect and they still had friction but the time he spent in Arendelle was more pleasant then the _entirety _of his life. It was a sad and dour thought but it was true, being bound to Edward was better compared to being Father's attack dog.

The demon's deep thinking was interrupted by that ever present sense that something was wrong spiking for a split second. Wrath was about to open Edward's eyes and see if there was anything outside when he felt something _inside _his soul. Sweeping his gaze across the empty courtyard, he was about to go outside when movement caught his eye. It was faint, but he thought he saw Rahim's katana begin to move.

Narrowing his eyes, Wrath took lengthy steps until he was standing in front of the weapon and gave it a critical once over. So far nothing looked out of the ordinary and the Sin stared at it for a long time, waiting for it to move again. When a few moments passed and it didn't, Wrath was about to call himself paranoid and close his eyes to check outside when that sense spiked again.

This time the spike felt like it was right in front of him.

Opening his eyes one more time, he found what had been causing the off feeling that's been bothering him and Edward all day. There was something right in front of him, if Wrath had to describe it, it looked like an outline of a person. There were no defining aspects of the being, just an outline of a person that shifted every so often. It wasn't like the person in front of him was moving, no, its skin was shifting like when the wind blew, waves would appear on the black surface of the outline.

The Sin wondered how this thing had even gotten here. They were in _his _soul, the only beings he could be here were him and Edward who he was anchored to. It was impossible for anyone else to be in here, yet here was this thing just standing in front of him on the other side of Rahim's weapon. The demon considered attacking the figure, it was trespassing but he really wanted to know how it got in here and what it was.

Before he could ask, the figure in front of him lazily lifted its hand before settling on the hilt of the katana. Wrath narrowed his eyes and readied himself as the figure once again remained still after gripping the weapon. Moments had passed once again as the surface of the figure'd body rippled every so often. Upon further inspection, the ripples seemed to originate from the hand that was gripping Rahim's weapon and they seemed to grow faster and faster. Soon the being was shaking as if it was being electrocuted or was having a seizure.

The demon probably would've done something but was interested by the sight and was working a puzzle in his head that he had the moment he laid eyes on the figure. He was trying to figure out what the being's body reminded him of. The way it shifted and rippled was life water yet it was too slow and thick to be water. It looked more like sand to him but that wasn't quite it. As Wrath racked his brain more and more on what it reminded him of, he continued to watch the figure's ripples become more erratic.

Then it stopped completely, like someone had told it to, all the figure's ripples ceased. The demon watched the being look left to right as it seemed to be trying to figure out where it was. Then it snapped back to the Sin and went rigid.

"Wrath?"

The demon tilted his head in confusion for a moment debating if he should answer. He didn't expect the being to talk and actually know his name. For a moment he thought that it might be Father but the feeling he got from the being wasn't oppressive or invasive now that he thought about it. That feeling he had earlier diminished completely. Whatever this being was, to him, it felt like it belonged here somehow.

"_Yes?"_

Another moment passed before Wrath felt something else entirely. It was quite a surprise to feel it at this particular moment but he knew _exactly _what it was. It was impossible for him to feel it right now, _he _was gone, there was no way what the demon felt could be true right now.

He felt Rahim's murderous and burning rage building right in front of him.

The ripples appeared again but they were much stronger now. The demon watched large waves originate from the hand that was on the katana's hilt, that should've been warning enough.

Yet it was when the figure snatched the weapon out of the ground and _roared _so loud that it literally shook the demon's soul did Wrath realize what the being's body reminded him of.

It reminded him of the black dust that swirled around a Sin when they used their abilities.

* * *

"_**WRATH!**_"

Blue eyes shot open as they locked on Rahim's armor towering over them with its fists clenched. One of them shot out and grabbed him by the neck and lifted up as if he weighed nothing and threw him across the valley. The world flew past him for a moment until he felt himself hit the ground hard and roll painfully into a troll.

The whole valley seemed to come alive at the shout as all the trolls woke up to investigate where that roar came from. He struggled to get back to his feet, dazed from the rude awakening when he felt the inferno of rage quickly closing the distance between them. He dropped to the ground as he felt a leg sail over his head before another hand gripped the back of his collar. He felt himself being lifted in the air before being slammed back down so hard that the ground cracked.

The assailant kicked him so that he was on his back and could look up to see his attacker lean down to grab his throat. He was brought to his opponent's face and got another roar that shook him to core.

"_**WRATH!**_"

He then felt the back of his head hit the ground again before being lifted again and brought back down with more force. All the while, the fingers around his throat tightened to the point that if he was a normal human, his neck would've snapped. He tried to reach up and pry the hands off but they would not give as they continued to slam him against the ground. Each impact lessened his struggles as he felt life begin to ebb away from him. Dots began to dance in his vision as he could feel blood begin to flow from the back of his head. If this continued then he would most certainly die.

"Ed!"

The assault halted for a moment as he could hear Anna and Kristoff rushing toward him with what sounded like an avalanche of rocks. Something solid hit them both and knocked off the hands around his neck allowing sweet air to rush back into his lungs. As he coughed and tried to force as much air back into his lungs as possible, he managed to open his eyes to see Sven standing over him protectively with a serious look as he squared off with the person wearing Rahim's armor.

The assailant stared at the reindeer for a moment before looking back at the incoming reinforcements then turned to point at the downed man.

"**Soon.**"

The person quickly ran out of the valley as the newlyweds and trolls reached him. His throat was still raw and he could feel the wound on the back of his head slowly begin to close. He felt gentle hands rub his back as he strained his ears to hear the redhead's soothing voice and her inquiries if he was alright.

"Ed, are you alright? Who was that guy?"

After allowing a few more gulps of air back into his lungs, he looked up to her concerned expression before speaking.

"I'm not Edward."

* * *

Elsa doubted that she would be able to fall asleep tonight. One reason was because Hans was in her harbor. Another was that Anna and Kristoff were staying away to keep out of the King's clutches.

Finally it was the fact that Stonewell was sitting in a corner of her study glaring at the door.

Ever since he returned and was told of the situation, the old man wanted the King to be thrown out of Arendelle. He expressed that he didn't give a flying fuck if Hans had someone trying to kill him. Said that it was the monarch's fault for not killing his attacker when he had the chance. The council agreed with the Captain and that Hans was a dangerous element and should be removed from their kingdom.

Unfortunately, Elsa had already agreed and Blackdust supported the idea of using him as bait to find the assassin and prove that Arendelle was not complicit to the string of regicides. Stonewell honestly couldn't care less about that but oversaw placement of guards as well as patrols. He called in every guard to completely lockdown the village as well as the castle, no one was to get in or out. Anna would've been appalled to see everything closed down but the blonde could see the merit in the idea, no matter how much it displeased her.

The Captain had also told her that tonight she would be sleeping in her study that overlooked the harbor which allowed him to keep one eye on the King's ship at all times. He even had guards covering the exit of the secret passageway that was in here and sat with a pistol in his hand in the far corner of the room. He explained that since she was sleeping in here, the enemy would likely converge on her room and be discovered by his men. If they were overrun, the two of them could take the secret passage out of here and rendezvous with his men at the end of the tunnel.

Elsa asked what if the enemy had discovered the exit and were waiting for them. The Captain vaguely answered that if they smelled blood while they were in the tunnels then they would know. The blonde didn't want to know what the man had in mind so she kept her questions to herself and tried to find a comfortable position to sleep in the couch that she had in her study.

After some time had passed of her failing, she let out a huff as he got off the couch and went over to pick up one of the books that were on her desk. She was about to light the fireplace so she could read when she heard a gruff voice speak up.

"The point of sleeping in here is for no one to know you're in here. A fire would tell them that. So No. Fire. Your Majesty." Elsa pouted for a moment before an idea popped into her head as she was about to make a small flash of magic to help her read when the Captain spoke again.

"No ice either, we're in a pitch black room with a sliver open that anyone could see through to see a tiny sparkle of ice magic that would make it obvious that you're in here."

The blonde let out another huff as her plans to read to bed were dashed by the man. She knew that she couldn't sleep, she half expected men to rush in here and try to kill her. The show she put on earlier did not seem to bother Hans in the slightest and that worried her. In fact it made her think that he knew every move she'd make and that he planned for them. She had seen the security plans and walked through every emergency procedure with the Captain dozens of times but she was still on edge.

His ready and guarded facial expression also didn't bode well.

She could see the moonlight peak in the room and reveal his eyes that glanced down at the harbor before shifting to the door. She heard him cock the flintlock mechanism in his pistol an hour ago and was sure that he had it pointed at the door ready to fire. Almost like he expected an enemy to walk through that door.

How he expected her to sleep when he knew something was coming baffled her.

"Worrying about what could go wrong is going to drive you crazy, best thing you can do is clear your mind and rest in case something does happen."

"And when is the last time you slept Captain?"

"Last night, after telling your Prince Charming the finer details of my life."

Elsa's heart skipped a beat at the blatant way the man said that sentence. Like it was common knowledge and nothing to be surprised about. She and Edward both agreed to share that they were closer with Anna and Kristoff first before anyone else. Part of her wondered if the young man had truly tol the Captain or he was just blowing smoke as usual. Wrestling her erratic body and glad that the room was so dark that the man couldn't likely see her, Elsa managed to speak in a steady tone.

"Prince Charming? I'm not sure who you mean Captain-"

"Don't deny it. You've had a glazed look on your face and a glow that's been following you around for some time. Hell even when we saw that mangled mess of a Prince's body, you were _still _glowing. I've seen plenty of people have the same expression after being laid the first time. The runt also had a stupid look on his face every so often when he thought I wasn't paying attention. You two should know. I _always _pay attention."

She really didn't know what to say to that. Her mind instantly went back to how she acted after she and Edward first indulged each other and thought she hadn't been _that _obvious. She suspected that Gerda might've noticed but the woman wouldn't have told a soul before telling the Queen first. She then began to worry that maybe other people would've found out their secret relationship. If the council knew, they would have the young man's head on a plate.

"If it makes you feel better, I don't think many people paid that much attention to you since that Prince was assassinated. I also haven't spoken to anyone about it, I haven't even told the runt yet. He has enough on his plate without me getting in his love life."

"But you don't mind getting into mine?"

The Queen in her chastised her for saying that sentence in a blunt and inelegant way but she couldn't help it. Maybe a little of Edward had rubbed off on her and she knew the Captain cared very little for beating around the bush. She thought he heard him chuckle a moment before he answered.

"I can't bully you the way I do him, got to entertain myself somehow."

Elsa chuckled then sat up and stared down at where she thought her toes were and wrung her hands. As much as she enjoyed the man's wit, she still worried what he might think. She knew that he could care less about royal titles and protocols but even he had to draw a line somewhere. Having the Captain of the Royal Guard know that the Queen of Arendelle had intercourse with a man who wasn't even a formal part of her kingdom was a scandalous story.

More so in this particular case if he found out that the man she slept with wasn't entirely human.

"So...what do you think about it?"

Elsa wasn't asking as a Queen, she was asking as a pseudo granddaughter who still looked up for praise from the authority figures that she looked up to. Kai and Gerda were paternal ones for her while the Captain was like the gruff grandfather she occasionally clashed with. He may have addressed her as a Queen and treated her as such in public but in the few times they were alone out of a formal setting, he still looked down on her as the little girl that he swore to protect.

"Hmm...if I had to give you my thoughts, then I would say if he really makes you happy then go for it. You're not a child, you're a grown woman capable of her own choices. Whether they benefit the kingdom or not, they are _your _choices and you make them accepting the consequences that come with them. I will say that you really know how to pick em. You picked a real piece of work, the runt is a lot more capable than he lets on. He tiptoes when he should be strutting, he also can't get something the first time. You have to beat the lessons into his thick skull multiple times and even then he'll fight you every step of the way."

The blonde chuckled as she agreed with him. Edward was certainly stubborn when he really wanted to be and had a hard time accepting things that were foreign to him. Like the concept that he was a monster, she had to hammer it into his head quite a few times and even now she knew that he still had lingering doubts.

"Yes I do suppose that's true."

"Hopefully he'll be half as stubborn as when this Father guy comes calling."

Elsa's heart leapt into her throat as she slowly looked to the old man who had his eyes focused solely on where she'd be. His face was now stern and missing his earlier amusement. The blonde actually felt herself begin to squirm under his gaze, the way he said that sentence meant he knew about _everything. _He knew about Father, about Wrath, and the dangers that accompanied both. He was the Captain of the Royal Guard tasked with protecting her and her sister and he was just now finding out that there were security risks he was never made aware of.

"...how did you find out?"

"Me and Alrick go way back. Before he left, he gave me a lengthy conversation of what was going on and that I should be ready for when shit hits the fan. You can imagine my frustration when I found out that not only did my Queen know of this information and chose not to share it with me, she also brought a security risk that had already massacred innocent people. I had half a mind to kick in your door and demand an explanation but remembered that you are a monarch and thus have no obligation to share what you know with me."

The tone he took was professional but she could tell that he was disappointed and upset that she never told him. It made a pit deep into her stomach to know that he was disappointed with her. Even if she was his Queen, she felt that he was closer than a Captain was to his Queen, he was family to her.

And it really hurt to have family disappointed in you.

"Stonewell I'm so-"

"No sense in wallowing in the past. Edward definitely made up for my hurt feelings on the trip. Besides I know the entire story. While it wasn't entirely his fault, the fact remained that he was a threat. One I cannot have so close to the Queen, so I gave him an ultimatum. If he didn't wise up and prove that he could be more, then he would've died on that trip."

Elsa grew cold at the callous way the Captain spoke. She had thought the two of them had grown closer but it turns out that he was planning on killing the young man should he not perform to his standards. It reminded her of a small fear in the back of her mind of what he would do to _her _if she ever constituted a threat to Arendelle. Her silence must've given him encouragement to continue.

"I was given copies of the reports that described what kind of body he has and I already had a plan to kill him if it came down to it. Had him by the throat and was about to end it all when I tried one more time to beat a lesson into his skull. I told him that his closeness to you was a threat that Father could just command it and he'd be in the perfect position to kill you. I told him that Wrath was made to kill his enemies and him pussy footing around that isn't going to help anything. That him hesitating could mean that you would be killed. He may have his regrets and that's his business, but if he really wants to stand by your side then he can't let them stop him from doing his job."

She was surprised to see the man begin to smirk as he remembered something. She didn't know what to think, while the advice was blunt and direct, it made sense. The blonde didn't like that the Captain was basically saying that if Edward wanted to stay with her, then he needed to shrug off his regrets right now. It was insensitive and she would never tell the young man that, it took time for someone to accept a regret.

"After I told him that, something in his mind clicked. He knocked me on my ass and really came into his own. During the trip, I've set traps designed to kill and he blew past them with minimal effort. He sensed every threat coming his way when he focused and integrated his left arm into his movements. He also learned to focus better and his combat ability has improved quite a bit. Seems that you're a very good motivator for him."

That made her look down with a small smile and a blush on her cheeks at what the Captain was implying. As if he could see her facial expression, he chuckled and was about to say more when a chorus of gunshots filled the air.

The older man jumped to his feet and glanced out the window from where the sound came from. From the distance he could see fires beginning to spread as more gunshots filled the night. The fires started along the harbor and headed toward the ships that belonged to their two visitors. Taking long strides as he crossed the room, the Captain opened the door and whistled in a distinct tone and watched as a squad of guards emerged from the next room. He had left the Queen's study seemingly unguarded as it would rouse suspicion for someone to be guarding an empty room and only had a few patrols that overlapped at his location so they could be a rapid response.

In the event of an enemy deducing that the Queen was in the study, he had placed a squad of guards in the room across from them as well as two more at the ends of the hallway to trap the enemy in a pincer formation. He had several whistles that meant different things to each squad. Some meant for certain squads to remain on standby or reveal themselves while others had them fulfill other tasks. The one he just used told the closest squad to come into the study for further instruction while the other squads remained on standby.

"Sergeant, I want you to quietly alert all the guards in the castle to prepare for battle and monitor all entry points. Also have our sharpshooters monitor the bridge to the castle and the windows on this side of the castle. After completing that, I want you to send two men to alert the men in the city and have them send reinforcements to the harbor. If they run into a large force, have them launch an emergency flare to put Arendelle in high alert." The enlisted soldier bowed his head before leading his squad out to follow the Captain's orders.

Stonewell turned to Elsa who got to her feet with a worried expression. "What's happening?"

The older man went back to his post next to the window overlooking the harbor that seemed to have even more fires burning. "It seems someone has taken the bait that you've laid out."

* * *

Ahimoth was pacing around the royal quarters of the flagship from the Southern Isles. He could not _believe _that he was babysitting this guy. A very big part of him wanted to walk over to his bed and suffocate him with his pillow. He could say that the assassin got in and that he couldn't stop them. It was a believable story but one that would be completely against his nature. He said he would protect the King and his father had always taught him to stand by his word.

That was assuming of course this assassin even showed up. Elsa had already confided in him her theory that Hans had ordered his own brothers' assassinations just to get the throne. The scar he got could've been a way to mislead them from finding out his culpability. The Prince was inclined to agree but was still interested in the possibility that the assassin had Rahim's armor and could disappear in thin air. He still stood by his theory that Ian Cavaliere might've been Greed and the monarch remembered when they first saw him, he disappeared without a trace.

That was hard to pull off especially with Ahimoth. As he ran to chase down Hans last time, he checked for any sign of Greed going into a room or breaking a window to escape but there was nothing. Just like in his office where Rahim's effects went missing without anything being out of place. If Hans was telling the truth about the assassin then there was a good chance that he could be Ian and if he was, there was a chance, the Prince could appeal to him and get him to stop.

The sounds of gunshots broke him out of his thoughts as they woke up the King next to him who looked bewildered to say the least. Ahimoth hissed at him to get up and get ready as he opened the door to see half of his men already with their weapons drawn.

"What's the situation?"

"Sir, there were gunshots that came from the harbor that likely belonged to guards on patrol. The lanterns that they were carrying are our only indication of where they are. Since the gunshots the lanterns have been falling over one by one creating fires. At the rate their toppling over, it's estimated the enemy force is heading here and will be upon us before long."

Hans chose that moment to push past the Prince with a look of fear on his face. "Then if that's the case then we should set sail before they get here. I will not risk myself being bait for you."

Ahimoth whirled around on him and grabbed his collar before pushing him against the ship. "Oh really, what happened earlier today when you had complete confidence in my ability to protect you? Now that the enemy is here you decide to lose your balls and run away, I don't think so. You're going to stay on the ship and do as I say as you agreed."

The Prince pushed the King back toward his quarters before barking out his orders. "Alright men, take your positions. Remember, do not move on the target until I give you the signal. Our goal is to capture not kill. If this assassin is really as dangerous as we believe, then overwhelming him with numbers will not work, we need to be fast and efficient."

His men nodded their heads as they all got into position. Some climbed the masts while others hid themselves among the barrels and railings that decorated the ship. A few men from the Southern Isles looked around dumbly wondering if they should also hide but the Prince had other ideas.

"You stay where you are, the target can't suspect anything.

* * *

The sounds of gunshots woke up the council member as he rushed to get dressed and make his way to the deck where his guards were preparing for an attack. One of them noticed the council member out of his office and was about to signal him to go back inside when a shadow fell from the sky.

All the soldiers looked at the figure and instantly aimed their weapons at him when they saw what the figure was wearing. It was an exact match of the description of Rahim's armor. The council member heard one of his guards telling the suspect to surrender but it fell on deaf ears. The figure rushed them without a moment of hesitation as they fired on him. The man did not slow down in the slightest as he reached them and quickly disabled all of them with brutal attacks.

The council member was pushed back into his office by two of his guards and was told to hide while they both aimed their rifles at the door. The older man waited with baited breath as all three of them could hear footsteps approaching the door. When they were kicked open, the guards opened fire immediately and watched the figure lurch as two bullets got him in the head and the heart. They watched him take a step back and expected him to fall over but to their surprise, he took a step forward as if nothing happened.

The council member watched the two guards rush him with their bayonets at the ready and stabbed through his torso, causing him to halt for a second. He looked down at the two knives in his chest before looking back up and finally spoke for the first time.

"**You're in my way, move.**"

The figure took another step forward and pushed back the two guards who struggled to push against him. The council member was horrified as the figure kept walking forward oblivious to the guards as he made his way across the room until he reached his goal.

Rahim's katana was in its sheath propped up on the only desk in the room. The figure reached down to pick it up and drew the weapon and stared at the blade for a few moments as if he was searching for something. The two guards removed their bayonets and prepared another charge when the figure whipped his head to face the council member.

"**There's a nick on it.**"

No sooner had he said that, a flash of silver had the two guards on the ground with their heads missing and the council member had a blade going through his chest. Blood began to erupt from his mouth as he looked up to see the figure lean over while keeping the blade still.

"**It took me a long time to make this weapon perfect. I don't like having other people use it and damaging it.**"

Blood began to pull where the council member laid and he knew that his time was coming to an end. He still had something he wanted to ask though. He wanted to be sure.

"W-who… are you?'

"**I thought that would be obvious, I made it very clear back then that I don't like people messing with what's mine.**"

With that, the figure ripped out of his katana out of the man's body and whipped his blade to the side to clean it of all the fresh blood that was on it. He watched the older man slump before he hit the ground and walked away while sheathing his weapon.

The council member watched the figure walk away with heavy eyes as he slowly dipped his finger in the pool of rapidly expanding blood and began to draw on the floor. By the time he was finished, his strength had left him and soon his life followed. On the ground next to him was a message written in his blood.

_Rahim has returned. _

* * *

**Hey guys hope you enjoyed this new chapter and I hope yall like the twist. I brought Rahim back to life! :D oh I'm going to have so much fun in the next chapter. For those of you who did not like the repetitive use of he earlier and not being specific on who Rahim was attacking. I wanted to hold off until Wrath could say that he wasn't Edward. Ahh so many ideas for the next chapter, hope you all stay tuned and enjoy. **

**As always if you wish to contact me, pm me or leave a review. **


	45. Chapter 45

**Quick shoutouts to ****highalphawolf** **Warframe1444** **house56** **blastforge** **for the favorites/follows. Hopefully I'll be able to knock out more updates since now I'm somewhat on vacation but I still have some packing as well as some last minute games I gotta play through as soon as possible.**

* * *

"You're not Edward?"

Anna didn't know if she should be wary of the man in front of her who said that he wasn't her friend. She had seen what was hidden within him before and found it to be quite frightening to see the creature up close. Seeing the creature now in the form of the young man was quite jarring. The redhead watched him stand up and crack his neck and shoulders a few times while checking the back of his head for any more blood. She could see that Kristoff was also at a loss of what to say or do.

Grand Pabbie on the other hand seemed to not be as stunned as the two of them. "You've changed a bit since last time."

Wrath turned to face the small troll and crouched so they were more eye level. "Like Edward said, I found a sense of balance since last time. It isn't perfect but it'll have to do."

"Yes...that being that just left, you know what it was?"

The Sin sighed as he thought about it. He knew _exactly _what that was. He didn't know how it was possible but the signs were all there. He could _still _sense the inferno of anger that had moved quite a distance away from here.

There was no one else alive that had the amount of rage that Rahim possessed.

He should've made a move on that figure before it could grab that damn katana. Somehow it was able to absorb the dead warrior's consciousness and _become _Rahim, the same way that Sins took over a body and replaced the host. Now there was a reanimated warrior from the dead who already had a grudge for the majority of his life. Wrath was fortunate that Anna, Kristoff, and the trolls came when they did, if they hadn't then Rahim would've likely continued his assault and the Sin would be dead right now.

That raised the question of where the soldier would go. The only thing he wanted in life was Wrath's life, even if he was forced to retreat, he'd stay close to finish the job. Yet from the demon could sense, he had gone far away. The predator focused on the mass of anger and felt that it had just crossed into Arendelle. That didn't make sense, there was nothing of value in Arendelle, at least from Rahim's perspective.

"Well, I know who it _was. _It used to be the man who was actually born with this face." Kristoff had a look of confusion on his face before he widened his eyes when something came to mind.

"You mean Rahim?"

Wrath pointed in the blonde's direction and nodded. "Yeah, the guy who was hellbent on killing me the first time is now walking around in a new body. Before you ask me, I don't know how it's possible. All I know is Edward fell asleep then I saw this _thing _in my soul and when I went to approach it, it grabbed Rahim's katana and started roaring in my face then I woke up to someone wearing his armor beating my skull into the dirt."

Anna had a disbelieving expression on her face as she walked over.

"Wait, so that was Rahim, _the _Rahim who never stopped in his never ending pursuit to find his mother's killer? The one who charged any enemy with no hesitation and has faced Elementals as well as monsters during his travels? He ran away from…"

She pointed to Sven. "A reindeer," Then the trolls. "Moving rocks," Next Kristoff. "An ice harvester," finally herself "and a Princess?"

Wrath could see the point she was making, Rahim wouldn't have run from those odds. His long military history had him up against worse and he came out of it without being disfigured on his own. There had to be another reason the soldier would run.

And why he ran in the direction of Arendelle.

Grand Pabbie watched the interaction between the three people while he took a closer look at the young man. He could tell his soul was still divided by two parts but they had seemed to be more compatible with one another. Like they were beginning to blend. Yet right now, one side was completely dormant while the other one was in control, it wasn't like it was suppressing its other half. It was more like it's carrying the weight while the other takes a break. The troll was actually quite curious what brought about this change.

What 'balance' had the two of them found to begin accepting one another yet not become one?

"So this Rahim was who you were before becoming what you are now?"

Wrath looked over to the troll and shook his head. "No, Rahim was born with this body. I happened to be the thing who killed him and took over his body."

"And you think he has returned as a vengeful spectre desiring revenge against his killer?"

The demon probably would've laughed if his mood wasn't so dour. He had spent a lot of years fighting and killing yet never before has someone ever put him in the position that Rahim just did. When he was getting his head beaten, he wanted to fight back, to prevent his death. However with every slam, it became very clear that there was no point. His attacker had him dead to rights, there was _nothing _he could've done.

He actually feared for his life for once.

Sure there had been times when Edward tried to end both of their lives but he could fight against that. With Rahim, all he could do was prolong the inevitable. After fighting for so long, he was going to have the life choked out of him when he was at his weakest and couldn't sustain his life force during the assault.

He actually began to wonder if this is what his victims felt when he had them dead to rights. That their lives had come to an end and that regardless if they accepted that or fought against it, they _were _going to die. It made him feel slightly guilty again, made him question if they _really _deserved to be killed by him. Even though he tried to pass the sin on Talib who was the one controlling him, he still carried out the deed. Even if he was a mindless beast, he still had enough curiosity to absorb one of his victims minds and learn from it.

Unfortunately though, he happened to pick the _worst _one of the long list of warriors that were killed by him.

For once, he wasn't a predator anymore. He was the prey, Rahim's _prey._ That realization brought about a feeling that he had a loss of control, and he wanted it back. The only way he could see that he could regain it was by killing the soldier again.

"Grand Pabbie, one of the advantages about being me is that I can sense the wrath in others and when I kill them, I can absorb the wrath from their souls. Over the many years, I've tasted hundreds, maybe thousands, of different brands of wrath. However Rahim's was easily the purest and most blatantly ferocious that I've _ever _encountered. In his mind, all that mattered to him was killing me, you can imagine how he would feel if he learned that I used his body to live. At first, I thought he just changed his name to Edward to escape his guilt and reinvent himself but there's a fundamental difference between the two. Edward hated the union of this body, Rahim hates my _existence. _I doubt that there is nothing more he wants then to see the life drain from my eyes."

"Then why did he run?"

That was the third time that question was asked and Wrath was sick of it not being answered.

The demon jumped to his feet and began to stride toward the entrance to the valley. "Where are you going?" Wrath didn't turn around to face the troll, only shouted over his shoulder.

"To ask him, right before I kill him again."

Anna, Kristoff, and Sven all looked at each other for a moment before running after the young man and catching up with him at the entrance. They watched him kneel down over something and take a moment to examine it. The ice harvester walked up and looked over the man's shoulder to see him holding Edward's katana in his hands.

What was left of it anyway.

The sheathe had been snapped in half while the blade was just in pieces on the ground. The ice harvester and Princess looked confused at the sight. There was only one person who could've done this and they had more to gain from taking the weapon instead of destroying it. The redhead couldn't stop herself from asking as she watched the young man toss the shattered remains of Edward's weapon.

"I don't understand, why wouldn't he take the sword with him? He could've used it."

Wrath knew why. Rahim cared for his katana very deeply. After gaining his memories, the demon knew of all the time and effort he poured into that weapon. He wanted it to be _perfect _when he finally confronted his mother's killer.

How Wrath had come to hate that weapon…

The blade was sharp, so sharp in fact that Wrath didn't even feel it slide through his body. All he remembered was having Rahim impaled on his claws then he felt his lungs fail. He suffocated but not before he felt everything else in his body fail as well. It was quite painful to be honest, feeling all of your organs shut down one at a time and the real kicker was Wrath had no energy to heal himself so all he could do was suffer until he woke up on the alchemist's lab table.

"The only weapon he wants is _his. _Looks like he really wants to kill me with his own blade. When he couldn't do it with his hands, guess he decided to get something that he knows will get the job done."

* * *

Ahimoth heard the gunshots coming from the ship he sailed on and had two men from the Southern Isles check out the disturbance. He would've gone himself or sent his own men but he had to protect Hans and revealing his men from their hiding spots could compromise their ambush. The Prince waited a few moments before one of the men returned to report.

"Your Highness, the men from Blackdust have been attacked. So far there is no sign of the enemy."

The large man cursed under his breath as he mentally prepared for what he was about to hear.

"How many dead?"

"There were only three casualties."

_Just three?_

From what Ahimoth had gathered from the attack in the Southern Isles, the assassin had racked up quite a bit of bodies and with what was state of Prince Albert was anything to go by, the man had a depraved outlook on how someone should die. "The survivors, did they see anything?"

"They said that a figure wearing armor described in the report swooped down and took them all barehanded. After disabling them, he went into the Captain's quarters and walked away with a sword in hand."

Ahimoth's face grew pale as he shot off toward his ship forgetting the King entirely. His men were still on standby so if any approached they'd be walking into an ambush. While it did cross his mind that if Hans died on his watch then he'd be in trouble, he recognized that if the council member died then he would be in even more trouble.

He raced up the gang plank of his ship and shoved his way through the crowd that was his men in front of the Captain's quarters. He burst through the door and stopped in his tracks. He could see the two guards with their decapitated heads in the corner of the room but that wasn't what he was focusing on. He was intently looking at the council member who was lying there in a pool of his own blood with his hand outstretched.

Quickly crossing the room, he reached down to check for a pulse and hopefully feel that the man was still alive. He honestly didn't expect to feel a pulse but it still made him swear when he felt none. He had fucked up, his job was to keep the council member safe on their little trip for answers and now they were dead. When the council hears about this, there will be hell to pay.

He wouldn't be surprised if they accused him of killing the man himself because the council member found signs of Rahim and the Prince killed him to cover it up. That would completely undermine his and his father's claim to the throne and could possibly encite an even bigger rift between them.

One that could very well result in another civil war.

Ahimoth shook his head, he could not think about this now. There was an assassin on the loose and capturing him would solve most of his problems. The men from the Southern Isles said that the man attacked barehanded before leaving with a sword. While the Prince said that they would set a trap for Rahim, he really meant for the imposter that was pretending to be his dead friend.

It was likely they took the katana and would've used it to kill Hans but so far no one has approached the ship where the King was. He supposed that the assassin could've been waiting for the right opportunity but why would he spare the men outside but kill the men inside the ship? If the assassin really wanted to frame Rahim, it would make more sense to leave the council member alive than killing them.

Judging by the blood splatter and the position of two guards that were missing their heads, they were killed first. Then the council member was executed with a single stab wound to the chest. The Prince knew that council member was no fighter so he would've likely stayed out of it, hoping his men would protect him. From what Ahimoth could tell from the wounds on the guards' bodies, they were killed in a single stroke. There were no wounds or tears on their bodies except for their head being missing.

Meaning their opponent was extremely skilled and took them both out with minimal effort.

Their weapons were also fired. The flintlocks were discharged and smelled of gunpowder. He turned back to the front of the room and looked for any bullet holes that signified that the men might've missed. When he couldn't find any, he moved to the rest of the room performing a quick scan of any breaks in the wood. His search yielded no results and he looked back at the position of the guards. They were a bit of a distance away from one another and well into the room. If he were them, he'd close the door to the quarters and aim his weapon at the door so when the enemy entered, he would fire then charge with the bayonets on his rifles.

Going on a limb and assuming they tried this tactic and they didn't miss, that meant their opponent wasn't threatened by bullets. That made things a little more complicated if their assassin could shrug off bullets. The Prince then knelt down to examine the council member's body again to see if he could get any more insight on what had happened.

The stab wound was quite deep and from the blood splatter a little ways away, the assassin whipped his katana to the side to clean it. That was definitely Rahim's motif, he hated when there was an imperfection on his weapon. As the Prince looked closer, he noticed the council member's outstretched hand and followed it until he could see that it was wet with blood at the fingertips. He looked closer and barely moved the hand to the side when he saw the message in blood.

_Rahim has returned. _

It was a crude way of conveying a message but effective. Question is, who wrote it? The council member certainly could've if he realized he was going to die and that he should at least warn the Prince of who was attacking them. Or perhaps it was the assassin who was trying to ensure that he would be seen as Rahim. If the latter was the case then Ahimoth was almost certain that it was Ian who had done this.

He left the men alive outside to tell the tale of a single man going through them easily like Rahim did during the civil war. Then killed three men in the confines of an enclosed enviroment while he collected his murder weapon. Perhaps they managed to see his face and realize that it wasn't Rahim and Ian decided to tie up loose ends. It made sense and also explained why no there was no more fighting in the direction of the Southern Isles ship. There were fires being taken care of on the docks and that only led to this ship, meaning the other guards hadn't been attacked yet.

Which begged the question, where did Ian go?

He wouldn't kill Hans because Ahimoth knew that they were working with one another. There was no way that usurper could just happen on Rahim's blade like that and survive an encounter with an assassin who was capable of taking his men down. The Prince initially couldn't come up with anything but then changed his line of thought.

What did Hans hope to accomplish by coming to Arendelle with Blackdust right on his heels?

He had already gained a kingdom thanks to the misfortune of his brothers. From what Ahimoth remembered of his last visit here, the King only wanted a kingdom to himself and set his sights on Arendelle. Now that he had his own, it would make sense that he would call it a day and just enjoy ruling his kingdom. Mary even said that he would blackmail Elsa into not making any moves against his kingdom so his place in the alliance was safe. What more could he possibly want?

To him, the answer would be nothing since to this Prince's knowledge, Hans had already achieved his objectives. Anything past this point would just be foolish and greedy.

_Greedy…_

Ahimoth shot to his feet when something occurred to him. Last time, Greed _had _Elsa in his clutches yet she escaped. When Hans had them cornered in the dining room, he said that he had the witch and that he didn't need Anna. It would've been smarter to return to where they were keeping Elsa and force her to surrender her kingdom yet Hans went to the castle to capture Anna. The Prince may have angered the King into trying to execute them but gave the Princess a chance to surrender herself.

That made _no _sense.

Hans won the moment they captured Elsa. Why would he risk coming back to the castle for the redhead? It could've been petty revenge but Greed's little philosophy made it hard to see him going along with petty revenge.

_Always protect what you already have and never risk it._

Greed had Elsa and came himself to save Hans from being captured since they could've made him tell them where the blonde was. Which meant that, Elsa was his target all along and he didn't want to risk her being freed.

Which meant that if Ian took Rahim's armor as revenge to frame him for murder of the Southern Isles Princes. How bad would it be if he was spotted kidnapping the Queen of Arendelle in a place where Rahim was rumored to be hiding? _Especially _with an envoy of Blackdust being here to confirm who the armor belonged to…

Ahimoth needed to get to the castle now and warn the Queen.

* * *

Elsa kept twiddling her fingers anxiously as she watched the Captain continue to man his post by the window. She saw the frown on his face deepen a while ago but didn't wish to ask what had happened. So far he hadn't said a word after sending some of the guards to carry out his assignments and she hadn't seen the light of an emergency flare illuminate his face so she could assume that one hadn't been fired yet.

The silence that ensued had her thinking about Anna. When a large number of guards returned from the harbor saying that Edward had sent them to help secure the castle, the blonde couldn't help but worry. While she was happy that he had managed to get her sister to cooperate, Elsa would've felt much better if he had extra guards with him. One of the men told her that they went to see Kristoff's family which made her feel a little better since no one knew where the trolls lived but still, the hairs on the back of her neck continued to stand.

While she waited for any new developments, she began to wonder what those gunshots could've been from. Her first theory was that Hans had decided to show his hand and began the first step of his plan, whatever it may be. That made her thoughts go to the Blackdust Prince who was supposed to be watching the King. The blonde involuntarily began to imagine him dead at the ginger monarch's feet as troops from the Southern Isles started their attack.

Logically, she knew that was an unlikely scenario given how battle hardened Ahimoth was. Plus he had brought his own men with him who were said to be an elite fighting force capable of dispatching forces larger than their own numbers. She really couldn't see such a large man being beaten by Hans. Especially given the personal feelings that the Prince had toward the King.

Which led to her second theory that Ahimoth finally snapped and just killed Hans himself. As she considered the implications of that line of thought, part of her was ashamed that she found a _tiny _part of her hoping for such a tragedy to occur. Despite the animosity she felt toward the man, she was a Queen and he was a visiting King to her kingdom, she had an obligation to keep him safe.

Regardless how she thought that if he were gone then her sister and Arendelle would be safe.

Elsa didn't wish anyone harm but with the events that Hans had put in motion, she found herself wishing that he wasn't in a position to do them anymore. That right there were her parents talking, in her mind, a very very deep part of her mind, she wished that he wasn't alive to pose a threat to her home. It was a dark thought that horrified her to think that she wished death on another human being but the dark part of her mind argued that it was Hans. The man who plotted to take over Arendelle twice. The one who had her kidnapped and imprisoned in her own castle. The one who put her loved ones in danger.

The man who made her sister think that no one loved her.

When Anna had told her what Hans had said to her in the parlor room where he left her to die, Elsa for once in her entire life, felt a murderous wave of anger wash over her. In that brief moment, the blonde wasn't sure she could've held herself back from launching a hail of ice spears at the man if he was in the room right then. Her sister calmed her down and told her that while it hurt at the time, she did know that there were people who loved her. That made the urge slowly ebb away but the blonde remembered the feeling.

Back then, she thought that such thoughts were horrible and should not be felt by a human being and aimed at another. To her, it just wasn't right to be _that _angry at someone. Even when she herself felt it and chastised herself for feeling it, she never really understood it until she met Edward.

He was the embodiment of wrath itself, he had felt that murderous rage many times and had lost himself to it. The result being the heavy chains of guilt that persisted to weigh him down. Even with all the things they shared and how close they've gotten, Elsa still couldn't understand how another human being could have so much rage and act on it to hurt their fellow person. The young man explained a few times that whenever he gets _really _worked up like the night of her kidnapping, he doesn't lose himself in a mass of rage like regular people.

His thoughts were orderly and he could think more clearly in the throes of anger. Everything to him was slower and he could make superior decisions quickly. His body then moved to turn the situation into his favor. There was no doubt or hesitation in his actions, like it didn't occur to him what he was doing would scar his mind. All he thought about was _that _moment.

When he explained that to her, she thought back to the time when Weselton guards had cornered her in her ice palace. She remembered just reacting, her overwhelming fear had her moving much faster than she would normally and had her focus on her next move. She didn't even realize that she had two men completely at her mercy with two horrible deaths approaching them.

When she realized what she was doing, she was horrified with herself, but before, when she was focusing on being in the moment, she found herself completely composed. Her breathing was even and all her moves were deliberate and effective like she was dancing. It sickened her to think that she had become so cold and calloused that she could almost kill two men without batting an eye. While she didn't fault Edward who had confessed that he had experienced such things many times and that his death toll was quite large, Elsa never wanted to feel that way again.

Which brought her to her current line of thought. She wondered what she would do if she were attacked again. As much faith as she had in Stonewell and her guards, she couldn't rule out the possibility that she would be forced to fight. Her recent kidnapping helped send that message home as there were people out there who made it their main occupation to kill people like her. Zavis's indifference to her ice powers came to mind as he felt no fear from them and continued to calmly step forward like a predator would its wounded prey. If she were attacked by another person like that, she wanted to defend herself yet keep from touching the darker part of her mind while in a state of fear and panic.

She thought about asking the Captain for some advice or lessons as her sister had done but ruled that out. While he would've been likely thrilled to teach his Queen how to be more formidable, he would've likely wanted her to embrace the very aspects she was trying to suppress. That led to thinking that Edward would be a good choice but like the Captain, he had classes to teach and his own matters to attend to. Stonewell's words of praise when it came to him and Wrath were very encouraging but the blonde was sure that he still had a ways to go and didn't want to interfere with that. Finally there was one big requirement that neither of them fulfilled.

They weren't Elementals.

She didn't doubt that they would have any useful advice but it would've meant more to hear it from someone who was like her. Someone who understood that with every touch, shock, or unexpected reaction, whatever they were holding would be encased in their element. To know that they had so much power at their fingertips and that people looked at them differently for it. Edward knew how that felt but he was able to keep that part of him secret so no one paid extra attention to his mannerisms.

She on the other hand, was examined by everyone the moment she left her room everyday.

Whether it be by her people, her guards, the staff, the council, or foreigners, they all were on their toes waiting to leap away from her they thought she would make a scene. Those who knew her did their very best to mitigate that instinct and she appreciated that they would approach her openly but she knew that they still had that lingering glance her way waiting for a single spark of magic. Children didn't really count since they were mostly amused and were blissfully unaware of how too much cold could do to a person. The adults knew though, they were very aware of the threats like hypothermia or just freezing to death. Both were very painful ways to go and it would destroy her conscience if she knew that she was the cause of someone dying like that.

A knock at the study door made the two occupants of the room jump as the Captain silently made his way to the side of the door. He drew his pistol and watched as Elsa slowly got to her feet and ready herself for an attack. When they were sure they were ready, he gave her a nod which prompted her to beckon the person to come in. The door opened and Hector walked in with a neutral expression on his face.

Upon seeing him, Elsa sighed in relief and lowered her hands as she watched her personal guard take a quick glance around the room before turning to the Captain with his eyebrow raised. "You planning on shooting me in the back?" Stonewell did not look amused as he lowered his weapon before stepping forward.

"Why are you here? The main point of Her Majesty hiding in here was to ensure the enemy wouldn't know where she was. Her personal guard coming here would be quite counterproductive, why aren't you at your post by her room?"

"Situation update. The castle has been alerted of the possible threat and I still have men standing by in her room. Since you would be hiding in here, I decided to check all the blindsides as well as posts for the other guards to ensure everything is running smoothly. Everything checks out except there is a broken window on the upper floor. I can't find the men that were patrolling that section of the castle and haven't found signs of a large group moving through the halls. I've alerted everyone that the castle has been compromised but instructed them to remain as if nothing had happened to keep the enemy from knowing. I had a group of men come with me and check every room for something amiss but found nothing except that the armory has been breached. No weapons are missing but there were a number of landmines missing. Seeing as you have a penchant for explosives, I thought I'd ask if you were the one to take them."

Stonewell absorbed the information and found himself agreeing for the most part of what the man did. Keeping the castle on silent alert had its risks but kept them from tipping off their enemy. The men who were patrolling the upper floors concerned him, there hadn't been any sounds of fighting or gunshots. He was sure that if they were attacked, they would hear some sort of conflict. All the men were personally vetted by him and would definitely put up a fight so the repeat of someone impersonating them would be mitigated. The fact that they all silently disappeared was worrying. It made him consider the escape route that he had set up in case they were overrun in this room.

"Yes, I did take a few to secure our escape route. Did you see any signs of blood or scuff marks, maybe the men on the upper floors were dragged away?"

"Neither, it was like they were snatched up without a fight. There was no struggle or disturbance. It bothered me that someone capable of this had taken so many landmines-"

"What do you mean so many? I only took a few."

Hector had a mildly confused expression on his face as he noted the older man's expression. "There were quite a few landmines missing, I assumed you took them all to plant traps for the enemy." The Captain shook his head as the gravity of the situation finally began to seep into the room. If he hadn't taken them, where had the rest of them gone? While they were quietly considering that, Elsa thought she heard something.

It was a faint sound that she had a hard time identifying. She could tell that it was familiar in some way but couldn't quite place it. "Do you two hear that?"

The two men turned to face the blonde and strained their ears for the sound. It took them both a moment but both of their faces paled when they realized the sound and where it was coming from. Hector was already leaping toward her as he yelled at the top of his lungs.

"**GET DOWN!**"

The ceiling above them exploded in a thunderous roar as wood and stone fell into the study and filled the room with smoke. In the corner of the room was Hector who had managed to tackle the blonde and move her out the way of the debris and was covering her with his body that had a few stray pieces of wood on his back. Stonewell was able to get into the other corner and avoid most of the debris and made his way over to dig them out. After moving the wood off the man's back, they both helped Elsa to her feet who had a few cuts on her arms but was fine.

"Are you ok Your Majesty?"

The blonde coughed but nodded in response to her guard's question and was alerted when she saw something fall from the hole in the ceiling. It was bigger than a piece of wood or stone and made a different sound when it landed. The sound of footsteps filled the room as Stonewell had his pistol out ready to fire the moment the figure became visible.

"**Very clever, Walter Stonewell. Had it been anyone else, they would've committed to getting to Elsa's room rather than her study which has a hidden passageway behind that bookshelf. I had to consider what you would do if you suspected someone would try to assassinate her and realized that you would've played on the enemy's lack of information. Too bad that I know you well enough to consider what you might do."**

The voice made Elsa relax as she recognized it as Edward's and was about to go to him when Stonewell barred her path with one of his arms. His face had a grim frown as the smoke cleared and he could see the armor of the assassin that was reported to have killed the Princes of the Southern Isles. He still had his pistol trained on the man's hooded face as he took a quick moment to consider the voice.

It may have sounded like Edward's but the underlying anger and bloodthirst wouldn't be used by the young man in the presence of the blonde. Something was off. That was the reason why Stonewell whistled and had men barge into the study and had them all ready their weapons to fire on the intruder.

"Who are you?"

The figure tilted his head in confusion before the sounds of chuckling began to be heard from him. The dark and ominous way the sound filled the room alerted the blonde that the person in front of her wasn't Edward even when he sounded like him. The chills that went down her spine were more intense than when she stared into Wrath's eyes the first time.

"**Can't get much past you. Well then I suppose it's a good time to introduce myself...**"

The figure took a knee with his right arm going across his chest and his left arm behind which revealed to be holding a katana in its sheath.

"**I am the assistant adjutant of the 26th special division brigade of Blackdust, colloquially known as the Mystic Guard. Son of Talib of the Tainted Wisdom and brother to Shahbaz of Blackdust. Rahim, at your service.**"

* * *

Sloth was reading a book in her tavern room when she heard a familiar sound behind her. She didn't even need to turn around to know who it was. "Are you still upset that your plan to incriminate Wrath has gone wrong, Greed?"

The mentioned man walked until he was in front of her and plucked the book out of her hand so that she could look at him. "What have you done Sloth?"

"You're going to have to be more specific, I've done quite a few things in the last few weeks."

The man took a breath and suppressed the urge to rip her stone out. Despite the calm way she was speaking, they both knew that right now, she was at his mercy. Her skin was cracking and he could see the small amount of black dust slowly seeping out her body. It wouldn't take much effort to kill her now, but if he did so then he would still be left in the dark in what she had done.

"You resurrected Rahim who is now on a warpath heading toward the Queen. You know as well as I do that he plans on killing her in a horrible fashion to get revenge on Wrath. Talib expressly told us that he wanted her _alive._"

Sloth chuckled at the last part he said before speaking. "Alive? Weren't you planning something along the same lines when you tried to kidnap her sister and brother-in-law? If it weren't for me getting in your way, you would've had them in the palm of your hand and likely would've executed them just so Wrath could feel what it was like to lose the ones he loved."

Greed frowned when he remembered the last time, he'd seen Sloth. It was just like she said, he had snuck on the ship that the newlywed couple were on and planned on taking them hostage while being seen by the men on the ship in Rahim's armor. Unfortunately though, all the crew members were knocked out and when he arrived at the couple's room, the raven haired woman was waiting for him. She had quickly disabled him and motioned for him to be quiet as she more or less deduced his plan.

While he didn't have any intention of killing Elsa, only using her as bait to lure Wrath, it still went against both Father's wishes and Talib's. Sloth reminded him that the invasion was set to happen soon and it would be in his best interest to hold off on making any moves against Wrath until it was underway. His chances of killing Wrath with the chaos of a war going on would greatly increase.

When he asked why she wanted him to wait and make no move against Wrath, all she answered was that it would get in the way of her own plans. He debated on refusing and forcing his way through her but remembered what she could do. If he decided to escalate the situation right now, she could inform both Father and Talib of his intentions well before he would have the chance to enact his own plan. Sloth noticing his pensive expression said that if he withdrew right now without making a fuss, she would not only keep her mouth shut, she would arrange a situation when he would have time to carry out his revenge.

All it would take was him giving her Rahim's armor and giving Hans the katana.

The Sin weighed his options before agreeing to her terms and withdrawing. He kept a close eye on her, Wrath, Hans, and Ahimoth when they all got to Arendelle. To say he was surprised to see the armor that belonged to Rahim scream Wrath's name in anger before leaving the Sin to retrieve his weapon was an understatement. After watching the armor for a while, it finally occurred to Greed what had happened and he came straight here.

Somehow, Sloth managed to give her phantom Rahim's soul and now he was on a rampage likely going to enact revenge on the monster that killed him. If he succeeded then all of Greed's plans would be for naught and the Sin would not accept that.

"We had a deal, you said that I would get to kill Wrath yet you let loose a monster who cannot be killed by conventional means."

"You're right, we did have a deal and you will have your chance. You see, I _didn't _resurrect Rahim. I can't reanimate the dead, no one can. Once a soul has passed on, then they've passed on. What you see is just an echo of the bitter anger and resentment that Rahim has against Wrath. I have no doubt that this echo will attempt to kill Elsa but will ultimately fail."

"You sure about that? I don't see how they can defend themselves against something who has no body."

Sloth's eye twinkled. "You're right, there's no way _they _can destroy something that has no body. Elsa could but she won't be the one who does."

Greed took a moment to consider what the woman in front of him was inferring to and ultimately came to one conclusion. "You want Wrath to destroy that echo of Rahim, why, what's the point in that?"

"That's for me to know and for you to assist in slowing Rahim down until Wrath can get there, or you'll lose your prize."

The Sin sent her a scalding glare as he tossed the book across the room and turned to dust. Sloth chuckled a bit before using the last bit of her strength to summon a small phantom to retrieve the book for her and continued reading.

_Better hurry Wrath, Rahim wasn't exactly known for his patience or willingness to relent._

* * *

Hans paced his cabin as his two guards continued to man the door. That oaf of a Prince had left a while ago which gave the King a perfect opportunity to go over the notebook he had gotten. It helped him fine tune the small loose ends to his plans when he heard the sound of dust swirling behind him and he saw Greed step out of it. Before he could say anything, the mysterious man turned to the two guards.

"You two, I need you to run to the castle and terminate the intruder with Rahim's armor. Do not engage any of the castle guards, he is your only target."

The two men didn't say a word as they left the room to fulfill their master's orders. Greed turned to Hans who had a confused expression on his face. "I thought you were the one wearing the dead traitor's armor."

"There's been a slight change in plans. You're to still proceed with your tasks and remain as an ally for now. I want you to stay on this ship, _do not _leave this ship until the threat has passed. The person wearing that armor right now will have no qualms about killing you, even if you're an ally of his."

* * *

**Hey guys, sorry for the delayed update. I've been playing Bloodborne and am trying to finish my second playthrough and Final Fantasy VII remake hard mode soon so I can let my friend play both before I move out. Anyway I hoped you enjoyed the chapter because to be honest I certainly didn't. Hopefully, the next few will cheer me up. Please post a pm or review if you wish to contact me. **


	46. Chapter 46

Rahim rose from his exaggerated bow and kept his gaze solely focused on Elsa, completely ignoring the rest of the armed men in the study with them. The blonde could feel the same intensity that came from when Edward would focus solely on her but instead of the warm feelings that it would invoke in her, she was cold. The crushing pressure that weighed down on her from just being in this man's presence had her take a step back. th

Her guards on the other hand all readied their weapons. Stonewell had the woman pushed behind him as Hector held both of his maces to his side. The other eight guards had their rifles or pistols primed and ready to fire at the signal from the Captain. Among them was Klein who had sweat going down his head and his finger twitching on the trigger. He was shaken by the sheer intensity that he could somehow feel as it oozed from the intruder's body.

Like there was no force that would stop him and they were foolish enough to end up as his prey.

He watched the enemy slowly face them before gazing at them one at a time. Even though he couldn't see Rahim's eyes, he could feel that they were now scanning him from head to toe. The intruder turned to face him fully before speaking in a way that reminded the young guard of his teacher.

"**Cameron, you're shaking. Remember to take a breath and focus. You've been trained for this moment**."

He sounded _just _like Edward, the guard had to fight himself from lowering his weapon. This _thing _in front of him couldn't be who he thought it was. The young man would never proclaim such things and would be responsible for what had occurred so far. When the young guard said nothing back Rahim began to chuckle.

"**There you go, you're beginning to focus. You are his favorite student after all, it would be a waste if you couldn't remember the basics**."

Stonewell chose this time to take a step forward and snatched the intruder's attention. "You are surrounded, surrender and we will not use deadly force."

The reanimated soldier's snickers could be heard as he listened to the old man's threat. It made the Captain want to signal his men to fire but he stayed his hand. They had no idea what they were dealing with and it would be foolish to escalate the situation without getting to know as much as possible. Like for example, how did the long dead soul of Wrath's victim come back to life?

There was also the question of where Edward was.

Stonewell heard the story of Rahim many times and could easily guess what the warrior wanted if he was indeed who he said he was. He would've wanted Wrath's head on a platter but here he was going after so much effort to find Elsa. What did he possibly want with the blonde?

"Why are you here Rahim, couldn't kill Edward on your own so you thought about getting some leverage?"

The answer that the intruder spoke was devoid of the earlier amusement and did nothing to hide the amount of malice in his voice. "**Killing Wrath will not take too much effort, but where's the fun in it if I don't make him experience the soul crushing void of having someone he loves killed in front of him? I mean sure, he may not exactly understand my pain but what he'll feel when I present him that Elemental's mangled corpse is certainly close enough.**"

Elsa gulped when she heard his intentions and knew them to be true but she also felt a defiance well up inside her. If this man really thinks she would sit around and let him hurt the young man she had come to care for then he would have another thing coming. The blonde took a commanding step forward as she raised both her hands and had her magic beginning to build in both her palms.

"I can assure you sir that your plan will not succeed. Now I do suggest you heed the Captain's words and surrender before we are forced to attack." Rahim tilted his head as he said nothing before raising both arms out and simply said.

"**Take your best shot.**"

Stonewell quickly made a signal for two of his men to shoot the intruder in the legs to disable him but it was pointless. The angry avenger quickly moved out the way while covering the distance between him and the blonde rapidly. Elsa was about to let loose a few blasts of magic to pin the man down but Hector had already rushed head and swung one of his maces at his opponent's head.

The dangerous weight of metal was deflected when the hilt of Rahim's katana caught it by the shaft and batted it away before it could connect with him. He then reached with his free hand and grasped Hector by the neck before pushing him into a wall. The grip around the Queen's guard's neck tightened as he was lifted into the air with one hand while his attacker chuckled.

"**You can't begin to imagine how long he wanted to do this…**"

Heavy footsteps began to converge on the intruder as they were about to attempt to help their comrade but their enemy was not concerned. Using two of his fingers while keeping a grip on his weapon, Rahim pulled on the torch holder to reveal the secret passage and then bodily threw Hector in its direction. The noble landed a few feet from going inside as the other guards swung their weapons at the intruder.

With the grace of a dancer, Rahim slid effortlessly through each attack all the while keeping his sheathed katana in his hand. The guards tried whirling to face the man but each time they did so, he would turn with his back against theirs keeping him out of their sight. One tried tackling him but flew past as the intruder sidestepped at the last second before finally making his move. A swift but solid swing of his sheathed weapon on the back of guard's head had him on the ground unconscious.

Two more men rushed him in an attempt to avenge their fallen comrade and met the same fate when the enemy slid through their attacks and landed his strikes on the backs of their heads. Stonewell, having enough of being on the sidelines appeared out of nowhere ready to blitz the attacker with a furious barrage of attacks found himself in a stalemate. As the older man swung one of his swords, Rahim used his hilt again to block the blade then grabbed the Captain's other hand to stop a thrust aimed at his midsection.

The two of them were brought face to face with each other as the other guards began to reorganize themselves. Being so close to the enemy, Stonewell tried to peer into the small open flap of between the hood and mask where the eyes would be located but couldn't see anything in the shadows of the hood. As he struggled to overpower his opponent, the Captain couldn't tell if his opposition was also struggling. The older man strained his ears to see if he could hear any signs of strain from his enemy but there was nothing.

In fact, the older man couldn't even hear him breathing.

"**Come on Stonewell, I know you can do much better than this.**"

The Captain felt the resistance against his arms begin to slowly increase as he was starting to be overpowered. It briefly reminded him of his first meeting with Edward in the stables when they had their handshake. If back then was any indication then trying to outmatch his opponent in strength was pointless as well as unlikely as he learned back then.

Fortunately, they weren't having a handshake right now.

Dropping the sword that was blocked by the katana, the older man grabbed his enemy's forearm before quickly jumping and bringing his knees to his chest while pulling his arms back toward him and jerking his body backwards. This led to Rahim becoming off balance for a moment, one long enough for Stonewell to throw him to the ground while quickly getting on top of him with a boot on his neck and a blade ready to come down.

Without giving his enemy a chance to retaliate, the older man swung his blade down with the intention of skewering the intruder's skull. Stonewell watched the blade get closer and closer until it pierced the mask and sunk into the hood and into the floor. Normally, this would bring about the end of the fight but the old warrior knew better.

He rolled out of the way of a strike from the sheathed katana and got back into his ready position with a new sword in his hand. As he did so, he watched Rahim simply reach for the handle of the sword pinning his hood to the floor and give it a tug to free the fabric so he could get up. Doing so however made the hood fall and everyone's eyes in the room widened when they saw what was under the hood.

Where they expected to see a skewered human head, they saw a black head shape with no features on it. The head looked like it was made out of sand as some of it fell off whenever the intruder moved.

"**That's more like it. Would've killed any normal person but good thing I'm not exactly normal.**"

Rahim tossed the sword he picked up before he pulled his hood back up and covered his phantom head. The gesture seemed pointless to Stonewell but he said nothing as he considered his options. At first he thought he was fighting someone in a body like Edward's, one he could actually harm and kill even if it could heal. However that wasn't the case right now. When the older man stabbed his sword into the intruder's head, he felt no resistance as it sunk into the floor. Nor was there any sign that his enemy even felt the blade go through his head.

Which could mean that try as he might, physical attacks would not work on the enemy in front of him.

The thought was unnerving but he kept his wits. The phantom could still touch them so on some level, it was solid enough to attack them. The Captain's eyes focused on the katana sitting in his enemy's left hand and had a theory form in his mind. If the phantom could hold that weapon in his hand, that meant he was solid on his left hand. Perhaps, it could selectively control what part of it becomes solid and for how long which meant that fighting him was basically pointless as he could just remain in that state where their attacks would just go through him.

That line of thought gave Stonewell an idea on his next move but he had to be careful how he executed it. Trading physical attacks and seeing if the phantom could selectively control which parts became ghost-like would take time and during that time, the situation could worsen. He doubted that the phantom could walk through walls, he wouldn't have blown the ceiling if he could. There was also the fact that he took the time to dodge their attacks yet wasn't afraid of them shooting him. Those instances pointed to the idea that even though he may be able to let objects pass through him, he still couldn't completely walk through things.

Which meant that Elsa could incase him in ice and he wouldn't be able to get out.

The blonde had stayed out of the way of them fighting with two men by her side with her magic at the ready. One thing that he enjoyed about the young woman was that she was sharp. She was analytical and very intelligent, hopefully she's been watching and studying the intruder and came to the same conclusion he had. Stonewell couldn't verbally explain his plan since his opponent was special.

He was a soldier who trained in combating Elementals.

It wouldn't surprise the Captain if Rahim had kept an eye on Elsa the entire time in case she tried attacking him. Which unfortunately meant it would be that much harder to trap him in ice if he was actively watching out for it.

Unless…

Stonewell shot forward and with a few stabs at Rahim's chest which he deflected with his katana while backing up. After one particularly hard stab, Stonewell took a large step forward and swung his other sword toward the intruder's neck. The quick attack still resulted in being blocked by the hilt of the katana but that gave the older man his window.

Twisting the grip on his sword's handle, he was able to bring Rahim in closer by pulling on his weapon. When they were close enough, the old man quickly rearranged his grip on Rahim's hand which allowed him to pin the intruder's hand behind his back with a thick arm around his neck.

"Your Majesty, freeze us now!"

Elsa's eyes widened as she heard the older man's command. She had been waiting for an opportunity to freeze the intruder in his tracks without hurting any of her guards. As she watched him move through her men, she was well aware how much it reminded her of Edward when he trained the guards. He would always dodge and weave before picking precise times to counterattack. It was beautiful to watch back then but now it was just occuring to her how terrifying it could be. Seeing someone evade multiple attacks without showing too much effort before using one blow to drop his enemy.

And he hasn't even drawn his sword yet.

The blonde remembered all the stories behind that weapon and how deadly it was in the right hands. She tried not to, but once, she imagined how exactly Edward slaughtered the Mystic Guard. She wondered how when he first told her but seeing him in action and hearing the stories of that katana, she was able to get a clearer picture how. She could see him weaving through their attacks before swinging that deadly blade.

Ever since he told them that his name was Rahim, Elsa's heart clenched in fear at what the implications of him being who he said he was meant. Her first thought was what happened to Edward if Rahim was here and he didn't have his body. While she was happy that the intruder admitted that he didn't kill the young man yet, there was undeniable malice and bloodlust in his voice. He was going to kill Edward if it was the last thing he'd do.

The blonde had little doubt that he would sooner or later draw his sword and would cut through anyone that got in his way if they continued to bar his path. Even when he expressed his desire to kill her, she could only think that she needed to stop him or he would hurt the young man that she had come to care for.

Which made her predicament right now very precarious. While she did want to detain Rahim, she did not wish to freeze the Captain along with him. She had grown very comfortable with her abilities but she didn't think she would be accurate enough to get the intruder and not the older man. Even if she just froze them both and thawed out only the Captain, her current emotional state right now weighed on her mind.

She was scared, there was no point in denying it. She was scared of Rahim killing her, her guards, the Captain, her people, and her Edward. Her first instinct was to run even if she did have the advantage but her feet stayed where they were. Not because she was too caught up in fear; she knew that if she ran, Rahim would pursue. Whoever she ran into could also be dragged into this and she didn't want that.

So all she could do was deal with him now before anyone got seriously hurt.

Elsa let loose a cold stream of mist that encased both of the men's feet before climbing up to their waists. She then shot another blast at the hand that was holding the katana which her attacker responded with, batting it away with the sheathe, covering it in a thick layer of ice. Stonewell tried to wrestle the other arm while keeping the one he already had pinned but was beginning to lose his grip. Even with half of his body frozen, the old man held on for as long as he could.

Unfortunately, Rahim had lost what little patience he had.

Raising his ice covered weapon above his head, he slammed it down on the ice encasing his feet and managed to knock enough off to where he was only encased from the knee down. His ice that was on his weapon gave way and allowed him to flick his thumb to release a small portion of his blade. Twirling the weapon in his hand until he was holding the hilt, he slashed the katana in front of him which sent the ice covered sheathe flying toward Elsa. The blonde instantly raised an ice shield to catch the incoming projectile which gave Rahim time to swing his sword above his knees.

As he didn't have a body and was only confined in the black dust that constituted him, the blade cut through without any pain and freed him from his captured half. Unfortunately, Stonewell was right behind him when he made that cut and the blade was so sharp that even the tip cut deeply into the older man's legs. To his credit, the Captain did not scream or let up his grip but Rahim could feel the burst of anger that came from excruciating pain.

The intruder simply lifted his amputated stubs as the blackdust flowed from the boots that were still frozen to them and walked out of his ice prison. When he had his two feet, Rahim whipped his katana again and pointed the blade at his chest ready to impale both he and the old man together but heard rapid footsteps coming on his right. He was fast enough to turn his head to the right and see Hector coming into range before swinging his mace at his target's head but he was still in the Captain's grip which had become even harder to let go now that the older man was anchored to the ground. Rahim would've turned their joined bodies to make Stonewell take the hit instead of him but found himself being turned into the direction of the swing by the old man. He thought about swinging his katana at Hector to dissuade him but with the position he was in, there was no way the blade would make it in time.

So all he could do was watch the world become black for a moment as the noble swung the mace and knocked his hood and mask clean off his head and made him hit the ground. Stonewell leaned back in exhaustion as he was still secured to stand up and looked down at the prone attacker for a moment. When he noticed Hector coming his way with that mace, the rationalist thought about how likely the noble was to hit him across the head and not their attacker. Yet the fearless and somewhat insane part of him told him that it was their best chance to land something while the enemy was solid.

The cuts above his knees were beginning to bleed heavily but the old man could only stare down at his attacker in apprehension. He had already stabbed the enemy in the head only for them to walk it off without any difficulty. Plus he had seen them cut off their own legs to escape their ice prison then reconstitute new ones. What's to stop him from regrowing a head and continuing the battle?

"Bowman, take her Majesty and escape through the passageway."

The noble was at his side holding him up by his shoulders when he heard the order. His face didn't change into a surprise expression as he could already see what the Captain was getting at. They didn't know if the intruder would stay down so the best thing to do was evacuate the Queen. However, Elsa completely ignored him and rushed over to him while encasing the prone body of her attacker under a web of ice.

When she got to him, she immediately melted the ice around his legs and moved to his other side to support him. She didn't expect so much weight to come down onto her shoulders but suspected that Hector was taking the brunt of it. The blonde had her eyes focused on the wound and made a small patch over them to stop the flow of blood.

"Captain, we need to take you to the infirmary, that is the priority right now."

"No, our priority is your safety. We don't know if that ice will hold him, we need to get you to safety before he frees himself."

Elsa frowned and made an even thicker layer of ice on top of the web that already contained Rahim before turning back to the older man who still had a stern glare on his face. "You are _bleeding _through the ice I made around your legs, we are going to take you to the infirmary, this is _not _a discussion."

The old man looked ready to argue but the brief haze that clouded his eyes stayed his tongue. He was a tough asshole to be sure, however the amount of blood that he was losing made him dizzy. This gave Hector and Elsa the chance to help him out of the study. As they passed, Hector turned toward Klein with a stern expression.

"Move the unconscious men out of this room and secure it, no one goes in or out until her Majesty returns and we can safely move the prisoner."

The young guard nodded and went about helping the remainder of his fellow guards move the wounded. As he did this he crouched down and tapped on the shell of ice that covered their attacker. The ice was thick and completely encased the attacker, from what he could tell there was also no space for air to get through. With all that weight and no air, Klein was sure that any regular person would be dead if they stayed inside too long.

_Speaking of which…_

Now that this Rahim character was captured, Klein had the luxury of wondering who he was and what he wanted with Edward. He also wanted to know why he called Edward Wrath and why he would think that the young man loved the Queen.

Actually, Klein could see that last point. As long as he's known his teacher, he could tell that the guy was smitten with her Majesty. She was beautiful to be sure but there was something deeper than that. The sad glances and longing stares that he would send the blonde every so often showed deeper feelings than he would likely verbally admit.

There was also the looks the blonde sent his way when he wasn't looking.

Klein had seen Elsa look on to the young man with a fondness that was somewhat on par with her sister. The other day when she found out about the betting pool of who would kill who on Edward and Stonewell's training trip, she asked him to bet on the two men returning closer than ever. Cameron asked her what made her so sure that they wouldn't kill each other as the two of them were often at one another's throats but she responded that despite what he might say, Edward truly has come to appreciate the Captain and that he would be greatly saddened to see him go.

That made the young guard raise an eyebrow as he couldn't imagine Edward saying that about Stonewell, no matter if someone tried beating it out of him. Yet Elsa was so sure like Edward had told her himself. It spoke volumes that they might be close to one another. He also remembered that recently, the instructor had been acting as if he stumbled upon a fortune, his happiness was barely concealed and he looked to be almost skipping when he went to the castle.

There was also the time when Edward was a hardass to them during training because something was bothering him. He looked so detached from training them that he wouldn't speak very much or offer as much advice or encouragement. After the break between training, he was in that good mood, while the Queen somewhat mirrored his state. She was _glowing _for a while and many of the guards had to think if they ever saw her in such a good mood.

_Perhaps there was something between them…_

The young guard filed away that thought for later, for now he had an attacker to deal with. As he gazed into the ice, he could see movement beginning to come from the intruder and see cracks beginning to form. Fortunately, they were on the bottom layer of the ice so it would take some time for him to free himself. More footsteps alerted him that someone was coming, yet it was coming from the open passageway that was supposed to be secret.

The guards lined up a firing squad and waited for the newcomers to arrive so they could determine if they were friend or foe. Two figures emerged from the darkness revealing the two men that were guarding King Hans.

"Halt! What business do you have using that passageway and coming to the Queen's study?"

The two men said nothing as they both stared at the firing squad before turning their gazes toward Rahim who was still struggling to get out of the ice. The two of them had quickly scanned the surroundings and remembered Greed's orders, they were to not engage any of the guards and were only allowed to terminate the armor wearing attacker. Since the target has been captured, all they could do now was stand by and strike if he freed himself. #27 stepped forward and brought his hands up in a calming gesture.

"We were ordered by His Majesty to terminate an intruder who was suspected in the recent regicides and was likely coming to assassinate Queen Elsa. As we moved through the town, we noticed a squad of men had been killed that seemed to be guarding a secret passage, we wandered its tunnels until we arrived here hopefully in time to assist you."

Klein looked at the two with a suspicious glare as he remembered Her Majesty's warning that the Southern Isles' King could not be trusted. For all he knew, these two men could've been sent by Hans to assassinate Elsa themselves if Rahim had failed. Looking at the two of them, he could tell that both of them were definitely odd, there was just something off about them with their vacant yet focused stares.

Something about them screamed that they were very capable of killing without remorse.

Which made deciding what to do with them quite difficult. His first thought was to ask them to leave but they knew of the secret passageway that led directly into the Queen's study, they were a security risk. He also couldn't let them stay as they might be on the attacker's side and would free him if given the chance. Klein wished that the Captain or Edward was here since they would probably know what to do.

There were five of them to the two of them with readied rifles and swords to their swords. Perhaps one of them could run to the infirmary and notify the Queen of the development while four of them stayed back with their weapons at the ready. It was all he could think of, so he went with it.

"We will inform her Majesty that you two have come to help but you will remain under guard until she returns with a reply."

The young guard motioned for one of them to quickly find the Queen while the four of them kept the two men in their sights, unaware that Rahim was becoming more and more agitated.

* * *

Wrath sprinted past the gates to Arendelle ignoring the surprised look that the guards gave him as he ran past. He could hear Sven racing to keep up behind him but all he could focus on was the mass of anger beginning to get bigger and bigger. As he ran, he had time to weave his way through the inferno of rage that was coming from Rahim until he could finally get a glimpse of what was going through the warrior's mind.

All he got were quick images but he was able to make out one clear one. He saw Elsa, beaten and covered in gashes until finally seeing her head removed from her shoulders. It was the same image that had occupied his mind for some time whenever he thought about killing her himself. Back then he felt it was all that mattered to him, but now, the thought of the blonde dying filled him with such crippling desperation that he couldn't explain.

He needed to get to her before Rahim did.

As he continued running, more images came to mind. He watched the resurrected warrior kill two guards and the council member while retrieving his sword. He then watched him dispatching the security in the upper floors of the castle and blowing a hole into Elsa's study. His heart dropped when he saw the blonde in Rahim's sight but was relieved when she managed to capture him.

Still, he could feel Rahim's anger continue to increase and it filled him with a sense of foreboding danger.

He didn't know how the warrior could be brought back but it made him wonder what else the avenger could have up his sleeve. When they had their brief tussle in the trolls' home, he had thrown the bewildered demon quite a distance and covered it quite quickly. The amount of strength that he could exhibit was beyond a regular human.

Wrath didn't want to consider it but he wondered if thanks to the fact that Rahim was now a mass of black dust, he could perhaps use the Sin's abilities by using his own composition as power. If that theory was true then the avenger could become much stronger and faster but ran the risk of using up all the black dust that made up his body. The demon knew that Rahim wouldn't waste his chance at revenge and had a plan in mind to carry it out.

Elsa was likely part of that plan. And with the image of him killing her after putting in her such a state was any indication…

Wrath shook his head, he couldn't think of that right now. His own anger was beginning to rise, he thought that it was maybe because Rahim had reversed their roles of being predator and prey but right now he was holding his anger back at the idea that the avenger had laid a finger on the blonde.

_If he so much as cut one strand of hair off her head…_

His next footstep made a crack in the ground as he sped up.

_I'll __**destroy **__him._

* * *

Ahimoth was briskly walking into the castle after having to take his time explaining the situation to the front guards. He was glad that Elsa seemed to trust him enough to let him in but he was still bothered by the situation. Rahim's armor was spotted as well as a council member being assassinated. This was already a bad situation and it would become infinitely worse if the Queen of Arendelle was adversely affected.

He had been asking the guards where the Queen was and that he had very important information to share with her and had been waiting for them to return with her location in the throne room. He would've gone through the castle looking for her himself but that would run the risk of them missing one another. So he reluctantly decided to wait until she arrived.

As he waited, he was trying to think of what he could say to Ian to get him to stop what he was doing. The Prince could see the appeal in having revenge against Rahim for killing him and his family. Hell, the large man was still a little sore over that fact and wondered if he really _should _be trying to stop the man from getting his justice. However, he knew that deep down that innocent people were getting dragged into this conflict and that Ian had no right to involve them.

Plus it wasn't completely Wrath's fault. The demon was a mindless beast sent on a hunt. He didn't know any better and currently seemed to regret what had happened. Edward even gave them information on where Rakat's army would be which the King had decided to personally see to. That showed that they both deserved a chance at redemption. Even if the Prince wouldn't tell Edward that to his face, he could at least try to talk Ian out of murdering him.

He thought back to when he first met Ian and considered if he wasn't beyond saving. The man he met back then was methodical as well as being very intelligent. He had the Queen captured and had the sense to return for his loose end and have him escape before they could get anything out of him. Also with Hans now King of the Southern Isles, it wasn't much of a stretch to assume he was still pulling the monarch's strings from behind the scenes.

Whatever Hans was here for, it would likely factor in Ian's plan.

He was interrupted when a guard returned saying that the Queen was in the infirmary which had the Prince moving there with a frenzied spring in his step. As he saw the door coming up he sent up a prayer that the blonde wasn't too damaged. He pushed open the door and was relieved to see that Elsa was fine as well as some other guy next to her that he didn't know.

It was the old asshole propped up in the bed that drew his attention. He could see the lacerations above the man's knees and sucked in a breath. As much as he didn't like the old guy, cuts like those were pretty painful and something he wouldn't wish on many people.

Elsa noticed him and approached him with a stressed expression as well as some strands of her hair sticking to her forehead thanks to the sweat that covered it. He could tell that she likely had been using her abilities with utmost concentration that likely caused such an expression. Lilian more than once looked the same and he learned to diagnose it in others.

"Prince Ahimoth, may I ask what you needed to tell me that was so important that you left Hans alone?"

"Your Majesty, the council member who was accompanying me has been assassinated earlier tonight and I believe the one responsible is coming to harm you as well."

The blonde's face didn't shift into surprise as he thought it would but instead she looked away from him and bit her lip. It was an odd reaction, almost like she knew something that she didn't want to tell him. He already asked her if Edward had killed those Princes which she said no to and she also told him that she would send the man away with her sister.

So what could she possibly hesitate to tell him?

Before he could ask, gunshots reverberated from down the hall. Everyone in the room jumped at the sound as the blonde's face transformed into one of horror. The old man on the bed looked ready to push the doctor that was tending to his wounds out of the way so he could get up but the man next to him pushed him back down. The guards outside the infirmary doors rushed in to report that there was fighting on the upper floors of the castle where the Queen's study was. Elsa looked ready to order men to see what was going on when Ahimoth was already jogging out the room.

"Wait!"

The large man stopped and turned to the blonde with a raised eyebrow. He could tell that something was on the tip of her tongue but something else stopped her from saying it. He waited for a moment for her to say something, anything that would warrant such a reaction but when she didn't he was out the door without a word. The Prince could hear the sounds of fighting as he ascended the stairs and when he turned the corner he froze.

He watched the silhouette of Rahim's armor dance and weave between the two soldiers that were guarding Hans. His katana was out and cut through the air with a distinct ring that many fell dead after hearing it. The two guards were quick and quite skilled but the figure was using Rahim's more aggressive two handed style. Each strike pushed them back until one of them made the mistake of trying to grab the hilt to stop the swing.

The attacker stopped midswing and quickly changed directions and swept the legs of the blonde one before cleaving him in two as he fell. The remaining one tried to attack his back but missed when his enemy quick stepped to the side and with his back still facing the guard, thrusted his katana behind him and impaled the remaining guard.

Ahimoth watched the guard sputter and looked down at the blade in his stomach before trying to lift his arms to likely wrap them around his enemy's neck. The attacker turned his head toward the dying guard before kicking the body off of his blade then flicking the blood off before resheathing his weapon.

The guard fell to his knees as the blood began to pool below him signalling that his life was quickly coming to an end. As he tried in futility to stop the bleeding, he looked up in time to see his enemy rush right past him. His body instantly shutdown as all of his muscles had one last spasm before going completely lax. He tried to turn behind him to face his enemy but the world turned upside down and he felt the side of his head hit the ground. His eyes were beginning to burn and he couldn't breathe but he still looked at his enemy who walked over to the headless corpse and kicked it over.

The Prince was rooted in his spot as he took in the otherworldly appearance of the assassin as he was expecting to see Greed under the hood and not just a black mannequin. The figure wiped his blade off from the blood and resheathe his katana and was about to go on his merry way when he finally noticed Ahimoth standing right there and he froze.

"**Ahimoth…**"

The large man was taken aback by the somewhat unbelievable tone the figure made but quickly got into a fighting stance as he prepared himself for an assault. Surprisingly, the figure didn't attack as he continued to stare at the Prince like he was a ghost.

"Yeah that's me, what's it to you?"

The intruder looked up for a moment before he shook his head and began to chuckle. It wasn't a chuckle that found something humorous rather it was a resentful one that sounded like he'd been repressing it for a long time.

"**After all this time, I thought that you would at least honor my memory. Instead you let my death be in vain…**"

Ahimoth was drawing a blank in his head but remained focused for any sign of attack. He thought that it was Ian wearing Rahim's armor but that wasn't the case and he couldn't shake the thought that the figure's voice sounded so familiar.

"**You knew that I lived my life for one single purpose and when it was denied to me, you didn't avenge me. Some friend you are…"**

The large man just now figured out where he had heard the voice before. It sounded like Edward's yet this one was filled with resentment and barely concealed anger. Still the Prince remained focused, he had already been stabbed by that katana once because he let his guard down, he wasn't going to do it again.

"**Tell me, did Lilian convince you to forget the past? To let everything go despite all the people who died thanks to that monster? He was right there in front of you on his knees and YOU. DIDN'T. KILL. HIM!**"

Ahimoth felt that roar of anger down to the pit of his stomach. A disturbing picture was beginning to form in his head on who or what was in front of him. His mind told him it was impossible, that this was some kind of trick or something but the sheer ferocity in his voice was genuine. It pulled at his heart strings if what the thing in front of him was saying what he thought it was.

"**You banished Wrath instead of killing him when you knew I dedicated my entire life to killing him and when I was on the verge of succeeding he stole my body and you just let him live?! You knew how much that meant to me, all the pain I endured for years was made irrelevant thanks to you being WEAK!**"

The Prince slowly lowered his arms in shock as his mind finally finished the picture that the figure in front of him provided so many clues. His jaw was open as the name he was afraid to speak was on the tip of his tongue. His mind tried to tell him that this was a trick but his body wouldn't listen, he was frozen in place as the figure quickly closed the distance between them and slugged the large man in the jaw making him hit the ground.

Ahimoth's head spun from the hard hit and when it finally cleared, he felt his collar being grabbed and him being lifted up until he was face to face with the featureless head.

"...Is that you, Rahim?"

The figure tilted his head before bringing the man closer so he could whisper in his ear.

"**The friend you knew died in the Dark Forest when he was killed by Wrath. My body is gone, my home was taken from me, and I have no family to return to. All I have left is the vengeance that was denied me in my first life.**"

"Rahim you don't have to do this, we can fix this, together."

Rahim shook his head side to side as he let go of his old friend's collar and grabbed him by the neck instead. "**Even though he put me through hell, that old bastard did teach me and my brother one thing. Dependence leads to inefficiency. So it'll be more efficient if I do this on my own, but I can spare a little time to convey my grievances to you in minute detail. You want to help? Try to stay conscious so i'll know if I need to work on my punches.**"

Ahimoth was in too much shock to stop the first blow to his face but tried to stop the next but failed. He caught the third one but the other fist got him in the cheek and dazed his mind. More punches began to follow and soon he couldn't muster the strength to lift his arms to defend himself. All he could do was lay there and take the beating his dead best friend felt he deserved.

As the blows continued to rain down on him, Ahimoth had one thought come to the surface that made him laugh on the inside. When he banished Wrath, he wanted to kill him for all the friends he lost to that monster but couldn't bring himself to do so just because his best friend's face had such a guilty expression on it and he would've forgiven Rahim for anything.

_Looks like the feeling isn't exactly mutual..._

* * *

**Hey guys sorry for the late update, I had a lot of work to do and honestly I have no inspiration. Hopefully I'll be able to find some soon but in a while I'll have 6 day work weeks so writing chapters will be hardpressed when all I would want to do would be just sleep on my off days. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and will leave a review for it. **


	47. Chapter 47

**Quick shoutout to the visiter who dropped a review yesterday. Thanks for that it was a real morale booster and I would like to assure you that this fanfic will not go unfinished. I already know how it's going to end and am excited to write future events. The only way I will not finish this is if I am physically incapable to and I highly doubt that will happen. So thank you for the review and I hope you enjoy this next chapter.**

* * *

Wrath burst through the front doors of the castle surprising the guards and looked around in a panic. Before they could ask him what was wrong, he was already speeding down the hallway. He heard Sven enter behind him which meant that Anna and Kristoff were here. Part of him remembered Elsa's desire to keep the two of them away from Hans but with the current situation, he found that he didn't care.

About Hans, not the couple.

As fast as he went, he made sure that the three of them were right behind him and in his immediate vicinity. He didn't know why he was keeping an eye on them but didn't waste the effort to consider the matter. The same way he didn't consider why Elsa being in danger put him on edge.

As he got deeper into Arendelle, he lost the images of what Rahim was seeing after the avenger was captured by Elsa. Hopefully that meant he was gone and the blonde was safe but he wouldn't relax until he was with her. Luckily Rahim didn't attack in earnest and played with them so there weren't any casualties except for the deep wound that he left on Stonewell's legs. If he was the blonde, he would likely see to those first before anything else, that's why he made a beeline for the infirmary.

He hopped up the stairs quickly and was somewhat comforted that there were guards posted outside the doors. He passed them without a word and shouldered the door open. Everyone in the room whirled in his direction in surprise but he didn't care, all he cared about was the beautiful blue gems that still had life in them.

Elsa looked at him in shock and was about to say something when she was enveloped in a tight hug. At first, she was somewhat worried about Hector and Doctor Steward being in there with them but when she felt the subtle shakes his body made as he held her and took deep breaths, she decided to melt into the embrace. They had been apart for a short time but with what has been happening, she was happy to be in his arms again. It helped ease her mind and make her feel that everything would be ok.

She wrapped her arms around his back and felt him bring her in even closer and held her as if she would disappear if he let go. The blonde supposed that he knew what was going on and was worried about Rahim coming for her and was relieved to see her unharmed. The subtle shakes that he made her think that he might be crying but she could hear him shudder as the shakes began to subdue. He was likely panicked and was just now calming down.

The blonde heard the door open again and peeked from the hug to see Anna and Kristoff staring at her with wide eyes. Well, the ice harvester's eyes were wide while the redhead had a smirk on her face. Elsa then felt herself released from the hug she got and saw the young man stalk away from her with his back turned. She was about to say something to him when he spoke first to the Captain who stared at him with an eyebrow raised.

"How are you doing Stonewell?"

That made Elsa look at his back with a confused expression. As far as she knew, she _never _heard Edward call the man by his name. Whenever the two of them spoke, the young man would always refer to the Captain as 'old man' or some variation of that. It was odd hearing it come out of his mouth and judging by the man in question's expression, he felt the same.

"As well as I can be with my legs cut up. You know I've heard a lot of things about that damn katana and if I'm being honest with you, it doesn't seem all that special."

The young man chuckled ruefully. "You lucked out, if someone put enough force behind it, the blade is liable to cut through whatever it comes into contact with. If he wanted to, he could've cut off both of your legs even if they were frozen solid."

"So you were aware of the attack?"

"Yes, for the most part I know where he came from and what he's done but after getting here I have no idea where he is or what he's doing."

"Well we captured him but there were a couple of gunshots a while ago and we have no new information."

The young man sighed at the news likely thinking the exact same that the Captain was. Elsa watched the two speak before she was enveloped in another hug from her little sister to which she eagerly returned.

"Elsa, it's so good to see you! I've missed you so much and wanted to tell you of all the things that I've done on my honeymoon! Me and Kristoff went to a few different places and had so much fun! There was this one time we-"

The blonde chuckled before raising a hand to interrupt her. "Anna I've missed you too and as much as I would love to catch up right now, I want to know why you and Kristoff are here. I sent Edward to make sure that you two were taken to somewhere safe away from Hans, you two shouldn't be here right now especially with what's going on right now."

The mountain man walked up and gave the smaller blonde a quick hug before speaking. "Yeah, he took us to stay with the trolls until you came to get us but then he was attacked at the Valley of the Living Rock. I don't know how, but he said that Rahim, the guy he used to be, has come back to life and was out for blood. He told us that he felt Rahim was heading to Arendelle and he ran after him so we followed after."

Elsa wasn't exactly happy that the newlywed couple was here right now even when they both knew that a killer was on the loose but she was glad they were with her right now. She had heard the earlier gunshots and couldn't stop Ahimoth from running to investigate because she didn't know how to tell him that his best friend had come back to life. Hopefully with him and Edward here plus the remainder of the guards, they could more effectively subdue the avenger without anyone else getting hurt.

She was about to get everyone's attention and air her thoughts when the doors again burst open and a guard rushed to her. She first noticed his panicked face as he was huffing trying to catch his breath and speak.

"Y-your...M-m-majesty...there's a...situation…"

The woman put her hands up in a calming gesture before she spoke. "Please, take a breath and explain what's wrong." The guard did as she asked and took a deep breath before he spoke more clearly.

"Your Majesty, an intruder has taken the Prince of Blackdust hostage and demands that you come to the throne room alone or he'll kill him."

Everyone in the room froze when they heard the news.

They were all stunned into silence when they considered that someone as formidable as Ahimoth was taken hostage. With the current situation, there was only one person who could and would go to such lengths to have her come to the throne room. Elsa didn't know what to think, she would've thought that Rahim would leave Ahimoth alone as they were friends in life but taking him hostage and threatening to kill him showed how murderous the warrior was. Stonewell was the first to get over his shock as he once again tried to get out of his bed.

"Tell that shithead that the only thing he can demand is my foot up his ass when I get out of this bed." Doctor Steward struggled to push the Captain back down onto the bed and only succeeded when Hector joined him.

"You can barely walk, you are in no condition to fight right now. The best thing you can do is heal." Stonewell would've given anyone else choice words but held his tongue in the face of the doctor as he gave his pseudo granddaughter a stern glare.

"Don't even think about it. We already know that he plans to kill you, if you go you'll be walking right into his hands. He was trained to _kill _Elementals, and no offense, but you stand no chance against him in a one on one fight. You may have the power to beat him but he has far more experience fighting and last time in the study, he wasn't fighting his hardest."

All those were good points but Elsa couldn't bring herself to leave Ahimoth to the mercy of his friend. Beside the political ramifications of having another Prince murdered in her kingdom, she would be letting someone who loved an Elemental with his whole being, die. She remembered Edward's explanation of how people like her were treated around the world and was appalled that they were treated like monsters. She was lucky that her people didn't look at her that way and couldn't describe the happiness that came from Edward not being afraid of her abilities.

She didn't want Lilian to lose someone who obviously loved her with all of his heart.

Which made her start walking toward the door when she felt a hand grab her wrist. She wasn't surprised to see the young man looking at her with a stern expression also. He had beaten her sister and brother in law at their turn for trying to talk her out of it. His eyes had a hard edge to them that had lessened when he looked into her eyes but still conveyed that he was against what she planned to do.

"Edward, you know-"

"You're not the one he's really after."

She knew that, Rahim wanted Edward to feel the pain of losing someone he loved, _her. _The avenger wanted to show off her corpse to him in an attempt to make him feel what he felt when his mother was killed so long ago. The blonde had no intention of letting that happen. Rahim wanted her and he was going to get her, she knew that she was going up against a trained killer but she had more powerful things to fight for than revenge.

"Yes I know, but he asked for me and I can't leave Ahimoth to die. You know I would never let anyone die when I can do something to help them."

"And you know that I would never let you march right into your death. Rahim won't kill Ahimoth, they were best friends when he was alive, the only one he wants dead is his me, his mother's killer. You're just a way to make it more painful."

Elsa could see in his eyes that there was guilt swimming in them at the mention of Rahim's mother. She had told him time and time again that it wasn't his fault but the feeling in his eyes told her that he thought differently. She raised a hand to his cheek and saw him begin to rest his head against her palm but jerked it away when to keep the hard look in his eyes.

"I told you that wasn't you-"

"But it is. It _is _my fault that she's dead. I'm the one who cut her head clean off in front of her son and could feel her anger at me for threatening her son. Rahim was a small child looking ready to piss himself in fear when he saw me and I left him with the dead body of his mother only to be taken in by a monster of a father who turned him into one. What he's done since then has been because of me. I was his entire reason for living and in his death, I took his body as my own. All of his life spent readying his body to end my life was now sustaining it. This is on me."

"Edward-"

"I'm not Edward."

Elsa's eyes slightly widened when the young man in front of her said those three words and she watched him take a step back from her as he let go of her hand. She was surprised to know that she was speaking to Wrath this whole time and it was actually Wrath who said and did everything in the last few minutes.

She really felt the warmth and worry that came from his embrace that was completely identical to when Edward held her. She didn't expect Wrath to hug her so tightly or say that he wouldn't let her walk into her death. The blonde looked into his eyes and could see all of his feelings laid bare for her to see.

Fear, apprehension, guilt, worry, all of these feelings and more swirled in his eyes and she knew that they were all genuine. It made him look even more human than he probably felt. Before she could say anything more, he walked past her toward the door and was about to walk through when she heard the Captain speak.

"Remember what happens if you fall or hesitate."

Wrath stopped at the door before replying over his shoulder.

"I'll do neither."

With that he walked out the room leaving everyone left inside. Anna alternated looking in between looking at the door and Elsa likely considering who to go to but Hector finally decided to speak.

"Alright, I've had it. There's been something going on for too long…" Everyone turned to the noble who threw his arms up in exasperation before marching to the Queen. "That guy Rahim knew the castle and our men inside out and was able to completely sneak in without anyone noticing. Then Edward admits to killing his mother and subjecting him to hell, on top of that, Edward says he's not Edward and was aware of an attack when he wasn't even there…"

He whirled around pointing at Stonewell who frowned at him and Elsa who grimaced at his words. "You two have been hiding something and it's starting to get men killed, it's time you come clean. Now." Silence weighed down on the room as everyone considered his words. Anna wasn't too surprised to hear Hector say all that and couldn't really blame him for doing so. He may have been a butthead but he had a point.

Stonewell once again broke the silence first as he found his voice and responded with apparent anger. "How dare you speak that way to your Queen, it's not your place to demand or criticize, only protect and serve!"

"Don't you even start with that title and standing bullshit!" The Captain closed his mouth with a glare and waited for the noble to continue speaking.

"You yourself never gave a rat's ass about it and you know I'm right. Ever since he's come here, shit has been hitting the fan and we've been besieged by the impossible left and right. We just got attacked by a guy who survived getting his head skewered and smashed, who also knew the layout of the castle and fought like he knew us personally. Now he's demanding that the Queen comes to him so he can kill her all so he can hurt some guy who brought all of this with him. He's a security risk, a BIG one. You want me to protect and serve, then you should tell me what I'll have to expect and give me all the information so that I can respond to anything that happens. You don't want to tell me fine, I'll just let the council know you've been deliberately holding out information that has already comprised Arendelle's security."

When Hector finished, he took a breath to calm himself down before turning to Elsa who looked at him with an unsure expression. He walked up to her and looked down at her with a stern look before gesturing to her to speak. Normally he would've remembered his place and continued to remain quiet but the intruder bothered him, a _lot. _The way he casually deflected his strike before having him by the throat and lifting him in the air was not something to sniff at. The way he spoke and his words also seemed to point to a connection between him and Edward, one the noble couldn't decipher at the time.

Now that Edward or whatever his name was, explained that he killed the intruder's mother and left him there, Bowman could understand why he would go through so much trouble of attacking the castle.

There was also the fact that he knew that Edward loved Elsa, how did he know when very few people didn't? It was unlikely that Edward told him since they seemed to know each other and would've likely killed one another if they came into contact. There was also the question of how Edward knew about the attack when he wasn't there?

It was like the two of them knew what the other was thinking, or maybe they were just the same person and the Queen was being led into a trap.

Hector didn't know and Elsa seemed to be holding out on information that was paramount in the situation at hand. He couldn't let that continue. So he waited for the blonde to organize her thoughts and speak.

"You're right, there have been some things that we've kept quiet. First let me assure you that Edward isn't in league or planned anything that followed his arrival here. He originally was going to leave after staying here for a while but I convinced him to stay to help overcome his past."

The raised eyebrow on the noble's face showed he already had questions but he kept them to themselves as he let her continue. Within a few moments she shared with him everything that had happened to Edward, unaware that the same young man was on the other side of the doors to the infirmary.

When he walked out the room, he was about to head straight for the throne room when he heard Bowman's outburst and decided to stay to hear what the guard had to say. He couldn't exactly blame the noble for his suspicions as they were well founded and actually proved that the man was trying to do his job. As much as he didn't like Hector, the man was committed to his duties, even if he was spying for the council.

Wrath could've stayed to listen to what Elsa told the noble but he had somewhere to be so he jogged toward the throne room, ready to face his past both figuratively and literally.

* * *

Klein groaned as he shook his head and opened his eyes. His mind was still hazy but he remembered what had happened. While he waited for the guard to report to the Queen, Rahim broke through the ice with a roar and went on a rampage. The other guards tried to stop him but were no match for his frenzied state. The young guard looked around the study to see body parts littering the room and blood sprayed everywhere.

Whatever was holding the avenger back evaporated and he turned into a monster. He moved so much faster and hit so much stronger that he didn't even wait for them to attack like he did earlier. Those two men from the Southern Isles were able to put up a better fight but even he could tell that they were no match for the intruder.

Klein tried to help them but Rahim had grabbed him by the neck and slammed him on the ground before getting above him and swinging something down on him. He thought it was dead but there was too much pain for that, his body parts were all attached and he didn't have any serious wounds, only a painful throb on his head. It seemed that Rahim used his sheathe to knock him out instead of cutting him in half like he did the others.

The young guard wondered why he was the only one to be spared but didn't complain too much. He needed to get up and warn the Queen, hopefully he hadn't been knocked out for too long. Struggling to his feet, he grabbed a nearby sword as all the rifles and pistols had been torn apart and hobbled out of the room. Despite not being gravely wounded, the world around him spun as he used the wall as a support to keep moving. He left the room and went down the hall when he noticed there was a trail of blood leading up ahead.

It took him a moment but he was able to follow it to the source and found the bodies of the two guards that belonged to the Southern Isles. One of them was cut in half from the waist down while the other had his head removed from his shoulders and a stab wound to the abdomen. They were still bleeding so they couldn't have been dead for too long which gave him hope that the intruder hasn't been gone for too long.

He slowly moved past them until he found another trail of blood only this one had small droplets that would only show up every few feet which meant that whoever was bleeding wasn't too injured. Klein decided to follow the trail since he knew Rahim couldn't bleed so if this was someone else's blood, they might've known what had happened.

He followed the trail all the way to the doors of the throne room where many guards were all on the ground. They were all badly beaten and battered but thankfully still alive. Klein hobbled to the closest one before his legs gave out and he had to use his sword as a crutch to keep himself from falling on his face.

"Garen...w-what happened?"

The guard Garen, had dusty blonde hair that was covered in blood as it flowed down his face. His face was covered in bruises and it seemed his left leg had been broken in two places, at the ankle and knee. He looked delirious with pain but he was cogent enough to look up at Klein and respond.

"We...were attacked by something wearing some black coat and had a sheathed sword in one hand and dragging someone behind him in another. This guy was impossible...he knew all of our moves and took us down like we were children...after he finished with all but one of us, he sent them off somewhere before dragging whoever he brought with him into the throne room…"

Garen coughed up blood every so often as he spoke but was able to lift his arm up to grab Klein's collar. "Listen…I think that guy is after Her Majesty...you've got to warn her and get her far away. There's no stopping him, all of our attacks didn't even phase him and he was strong enough to throw us around like we weighed nothing. Even if she has ice powers, I fear the Queen won't be able to stand up to him, she _has _to flee."

The young guard nodded and watched Garen's eyes grow heavy before his arm dropped and he fell silent. Fear overtook his heart for a moment as he checked the guard's pulse and was happy to feel that he was still alive. He likely just passed out from exhaustion after getting his message across. Klein agreed with the guard as he had seen Rahim go all out and decimated them. He didn't want his Queen to have to face a monster like that. He needed to get to her and warn her before Rahim did.

The young guard heard some footsteps and struggled to his feet ready to face whoever was coming. If it was Rahim again, he'd fight to his dying breath if he had to, even when he knew he didn't stand a chance.

Fortunately, a familiar face turned the corner that made him drop his crutch in relief and fall to the floor. "Edward, you're back!" The young man closed the distance between them and helped prop Klein up against a wall. He looked around to the wake of Rahim's charge and grimaced. He could pick out quite a few of his students and knew that they fought as hard as they could. The problem was, Rahim was in a class of his own and if he shared the same brain as the one who trained these men, he knew how to dispatch them.

Wrath was no stranger to carnage but seeing all the men that trained under Edward being reduced to this state with broken bones, made his blood boil. Klein looked better than the rest of them and he was surprised that the young guard had survived fighting Rahim and made his way down here from the Queen's study.

"Klein, are you alright?"

Cameron looked up with a smile to try and play off how bad he felt but it was obvious he could barely stand. "Y-yeah, I'm just taking a quick break, give me a minute and I'll be right as rain." Wrath chuckled a bit before his face grew serious. He looked toward the throne room doors as he could feel lingering traces of anger coming from within that no doubt belonged to the one responsible for this.

It shouldn't have come to this, Rahim had Wrath by the throat earlier tonight and should've stayed and finished the job instead of running and causing all of this damage. The demon knew he went to retrieve his katana, how he knew where it was still baffled the predator, but the avenger should've gone back to get his revenge. Instead he decided to attack the castle and threaten everyone in it.

Wrath could understand the justification of his death but couldn't accept that hurting so many people in Arendelle was right. Even from someone who had little experience with morals, what the warrior was doing was wrong to him.

Klein looked in the direction of the doors as well and weakly grabbed the young man's hand. "Edward, you need to be careful. That guy in there was nothing like I've ever seen before. I know that you are really good but I don't think you should be doing this alone. You should wait until more men arrive to help…"

Wrath looked down before giving the guard's hand a confident squeeze. "You stay here and rest up. I'll take care of it. There should be some more guards heading here, tell them to get all the wounded to the infirmary, I don't want anyone else going in after me." Klein looked ready to argue but was given a smile and a thumbs up before watching the man pick up two nearby swords and walking through the doors of the throne room.

_Good luck sir._

* * *

Wrath walked through the throne room doors and made a quick sweep of the room searching for his opponent. There was no sign of him and from what the demon could sense, he was in this room yet the inferno of anger somehow covered the entire room, so sensing his position was out of the question. As he gave the room a more thorough look, he noticed someone slumped against the throne. Even from here, he could tell that they were severely beaten. Crossing the room quickly, Wrath knelt down to get a closer look at the person.

While he knew Ahimoth had been taken hostage and expected a pretty bad sight, what he found horrified him. The large man had been beaten _bad. _Bruises were the least of his injuries, his eyes were swollen shut as well as he could see cuts on his chest and arms as well as several of his fingers being broken. Wrath had never tortured anyone but Rahim certainly was a natural, the demon gently shook the man hoping to rouse him.

"Ahimoth, you with me? Come on, I need you to wake up."

Upon hearing a familiar voice, the Prince began to speak in quiet raspy breaths. Wrath had gotten closer to hear what he was saying but could only make out little snippets here and there. Most of them being; 'I'm sorry' or 'we can fix this'. The demon had little doubt Ahimoth was aware that it wasn't Rahim he was speaking to right now, so he could guess that the avenger had took his anger on his old best friend. Regardless of what the reason, the predator felt that this was going too far. He put both his swords in his belt loops before putting one arm over his shoulders and helped the barely conscious Prince to his feet and helped him shuffle toward the doors of the throne room. He would leave him outside so he could be sent to the infirmary before he faced Rahim.

As the two of them slowly shuffled toward the doors, Wrath heard that distinct ring that always sent a chill down his back. He turned around to see Rahim standing not three meters away from them with his katana drawn.

"**I thought I asked for Elsa to come here alone. I'm sort of new to this so I wanted to practice on someone, I could make a few mistakes on. Didn't expect to see you here so soon. Oh well, all I have to do is remove your spine, so you can watch me take my time with her.**"

* * *

After Elsa finished explaining about Edward's history, she watched Hector's frown deepen even more as he turned to Captain. "You knew all of this and didn't do anything about it?"

"I took him on that field exercise to address my concerns."

"And you felt that this wasn't important information to share with the Queen's personal guard."

"You know I might've considered it, if I knew you would've kept it to yourself and not report it to the council behind her back."

And there it was. That cat was finally out of the bag. Hector wasn't too surprised to be honest. Stonewell was a very sharp individual, their meeting before he officially became the Queen's guard more or less confirmed that he knew what the noble was up to. Yet despite that, he let him be without any threats, only that he protected the Queen as a guard should. The Captain knew of his friends' deaths and asked him if it would compromise his ability to defend the Queen.

Bowman of course, answered no and that was the last he heard about it but he could tell that Stonewell kept an extra eye on him. The old man probably knew of the council's intentions of seizing more power from the Queen and turning her into a figurehead while using her as a deterrent as well as a prod with her powers during negotiations. However, the Captain still left him to his own activities. The noble wondered why that was but didn't pay much mind to it.

Until now when he found out that the old man was hiding something from him. While it was hypocritical for him to fault the Captain from hiding something, there was a line when it came to Arendelle's security. Queen Elsa's life was an aspect of that security and the secret they've been hiding _did _jeopardize her life.

"Alright and what's stopping me from telling them now? Just because you-" Hector made air quotes with his hands. "-_addressed _the issue, doesn't mean that it was dealt with. Obviously it wouldn't have if Rahim really has risen from the dead to have his revenge. Everything that Edward knows is likely in that rampaging maniac's head right now. Royal protocols and security measures that he helped instill are all in the enemy's head. Not to mention half of the guards' combat ability, he could pick them off easily since he basically _trained _them."

"You won't tell them because it would upset Grace."

Hector narrowed his eyes while everyone in the room looked confused for a moment. "What does she have to do with this?"

"Simple, you know that Grace is completely loyal to Her Majesty since she has done so much good for Arendelle. The council may have taken care of Arendelle, but Elsa has made it _grow. _Life here is better thanks to her, if you helped the council limit the Queen's ability to continue improving her kingdom, then Grace would never forgive you, _especially_ if you're doing it over a grudge."

If looks could kill, then Stonewell would've been a dead man. Everyone else remained silent as the two of them had a silent staring contest before Hector cursed as he moved to the door. When he put his hand on the knob, the noble didn't look back to who he was speaking to but the Captain knew it was to him.

"You're sure that he can handle Rahim?"

The old man's answer came without a shred of hesitation.

"Without a doubt."

Bowman opened the door and called for the two guards stationed right outside. "I want one of you to put the entire castle on alert, have men patrolling the courtyard come in and help move the wounded to the infirmary and form a perimeter around the infirmary and throne room, no one gets in or out unless I say so."

The guard saluted the noble before hurrying to carry out his orders. Hector then turned to Elsa and fixed her with a glare. "Don't think this is over, we have a _lot _to talk about. Right now, our main priority is to keep you safe and get a count of all the men we have left. Hopefully, your pet demon can avoid being killed by the same guy twice."

It was Elsa who answered with nothing but confidence in her voice.

"He'll win."

"Then he won't mind me grabbing the Prince. We can't have another regicide in our borders. While he's keeping Rahim busy, I'll sneak by and grab him and bring him here. Do me a favor and _stay here_, you'll be a distraction if you walk into that throne room."

The blonde watched him walk through the door and slammed it with some anger that was likely aimed at her. She may have acted calm and composed but on the inside she was slightly panicking. Now Hector and Doctor Steward knew about Wrath, she had wanted to keep as many people from knowing as possible but it just seemed to keep growing. The noble also made that pet remark that likely meant he knew that she and Edward were a lot closer than what she told him. The hug earlier didn't really help her but she wouldn't regret that, it was nice being enveloped in those warm arms again.

Yet she couldn't help that her mind kept coming back to the fact that Wrath was the one who hugged her like Edward would've in this situation. It also made her wonder where he even was, Wrath didn't seem too disturbed about his absence but was also acting unusual. She wished that they could've talked more before he decided to leave.

Anna, noticing her sister's expression went over to her and gave her a little side hug. "It's weird isn't it? When he first told me that he wasn't Edward, I had half a mind to start running because of his first impression but today he still just _felt _like Ed you know? The way he talked may have been different but you should've seen him when he was running here. He looked _so _panicked, I mean I didn't really see his face as he ran but he looked like he wanted to run so much faster but slowed down because we were right behind him. Like even though he was racing to get back to you, he still had a mind to keep an eye on us."

The older sister looked at the redhead for a moment before agreeing. "Yes I can understand. Believe it or not, Wrath was actually the one who spoke that wedding speech for you two. He said after that it was annoying that Edward actually practiced it but it was nice on his part to actually say it instead of just walking away."

"So _that's _why he froze for so long. I should be sure to thank him when he comes back… you think he will right?"

Elsa faced Anna with a face filled with complete confidence. "Of course he will." The blonde truly believed that and conveyed it but the younger sister had actually watched Wrath get his head beat in by Rahim earlier that night. She didn't want to tell her sister but she wasn't a hundred percent sure that he'd be ok going against the avenger.

While the two spoke, Kristoff tried to sneak out the room without anyone noticing. He was at the door when the Captain turned his way and fixed him with a narrowed glance. The mountain man looked like a deer caught in someone's sights and thought the old man was about to alert the others that he was trying to leave but instead, started a loud argument with the Doctor that made everyone look at the two and giving the mountain man time to slip out without anyone noticing.

The ice harvester made his way toward the throne room where he stopped at the room before and saw guards being carried away toward the infirmary. Hector was organizing the effort and when he spotted the mountain man, he frowned and walked over.

"You do realize that now you're married to Her Highness, you are technically considered a Prince even though you are a consort. So that now makes you an important target and that should motivate you to remain safe and guarded."

Kristoff shrugged his shoulders in an uncaring manner that probably grated on the noble's nerves but chose not to say anything. "You've seen Edward yet?"

"You mean Wrath and no I have not. I've already established a perimeter and have men going around the side of the castle to look in on the room and get an idea of what's going on before we make our move."

"So you've already got a plan?"

"If the Prince is not in any immediate danger and Wrath can keep Rahim busy, we can break the windows and drop in from them to extract the Prince then storm the room with our remaining men. From there we will try and pin the intruder and take him into custody."

"T-that...won't work…"

The two men turned to see Klein being carried next to them by one of the guards. He looked quite worse for wear but didn't seem too bad. Hector was surprised yet mildly pleased that the young guard hadn't been killed. Since arriving here, he's been informed that the men stationed in the Queen's study room had all been killed. Hopefully the young guard had some insight being the only survivor.

"Why not?"

"That Rahim guy…he's a complete monster. There were seven of us in there guarding him when he went on a rampage and completely broke through the Queen's ice prison. Then he proceeded to slaughter the rest of us without getting so much as a scratch. What we saw before we captured him was nothing compared to how he was after. I tried to warn Edward that he would need some help but he said he'd be fine but I'm not convinced. There's no way you can capture a guy like that, somehow, someway, you're going to have to take him down for good or no one's safe."

The two men looked at one another as they took in the young guard's warning before looking back at the doors to the throne room. Kristoff had a lot of confidence in his friend since seeing him fight Envy but he had to ask.

"How long until you get men on the windows."

"They should be moving into position as we speak."

* * *

Even though Rahim didn't have a face, Wrath could tell there was a predator's grin on his face. The demon couldn't blame him, he had his prey catering to someone who was too weak to move. If he wanted to, the avenger could've stabbed them both through the chest before announcing himself. Yet the Sin knew that just his death wasn't what Rahim wanted, he wanted his prey to feel pain and fear before knowing the sweet release of death. Which didn't really scare the demon but it made him apprehensive given that he had some impactful weight on his shoulders.

"**Oh come on, don't you have anything to say? Don't tell me that you're crippled by fear already, we haven't even started yet.**"

Rahim took a step forward which made Wrath take one back closer to the door. He didn't want to fight the avenger before he could put down Ahimoth, but something told him if he tried then that he would be asking for a cut from the blade that already killed him once. He said nothing as he tried to think of a plan, something that would give him enough time to get the large man out of the throne room. As he continued to take more and more steps back, he noticed some shadows covering the moonlight coming from the windows.

Masking a discreet look by readjusting his hold on the Prince, Wrath was pleased to see that there were guards staged at the windows with ropes around their waist seemingly looking ready to bust into the throne room at a moment's notice. They were likely there to rescue the Prince and assist him, while he appreciated the help, he would rather deal with Rahim on his own.

"I'm not afraid, just taking the fact that you tortured your oldest friend. You think I'm a monster but I never tortured anyone let alone my friends. Makes you wonder who's the real monster here."

Rahim chuckled as he expertly spun his katana in his hand while continuing to walk forward. "**Do you think I care about what others think of me? I was a monster ever since I decided to dedicate my life to hunting you down. As for Ahimoth...he knew how much your death meant to me and even when you admitted to everything, he let you go on living despite the fact that you repeatedly told him that I was dead. You see that in itself negates all my ties to him, only reason I haven't killed him now is because he could be of use to me. I was going to use him to bring Elsa here but now that you've showed up, I guess he's useless to me now."**

Wrath kept moving toward the door hoping he could either make it there to get the Prince to safety or get closer to the windows so the guards could get to the wounded man easily. "So what, you're really just going to kill your best friend? If you're that cold then why even spare Klein?"

"**I couldn't bring myself to kill him. Perhaps a little piece of you got in my way and stayed my hand. Not that it matters much, he's no threat to me.**"

_Just a few more steps…_

He was close to the doors and basically under one of the windows where he made eye contact with the guard and motioned his head toward the Prince. The guard replied with a nod showing that he understood. Wrath turned his attention back to Rahim who stopped walking and sheathed his katana. The demon raised an eyebrow in curiosity as he heard the avenger chuckle.

"**Did you really think that I wouldn't have noticed?"**

Rahim then made a beeline toward one of the columns that lined the room and jumped up on it before grabbing an edge and pulling himself up until he was at the edge of the window. Wrath was too late from putting the Prince down to stop the reanimated warrior from reaching his hand through the window to grab the guard and yank him through while keeping him in his grip. The Sin was about to tell the armored warrior to let the man go but he was too late when he heard the distinct sound of a neck breaking and the guard went limp in the avenger's grip. Dropping the body and letting the rope catch him and leave as a morbid reminder, Rahim chuckled before speaking.

"**Why don't we take this somewhere we won't get interrupted?"**

Wrath watched Rahim crash through the window and instantly moved to follow him hoping to catch him before he killed any more of the guards that were on the roof. Before he could follow, the doors to the throne room opened and Hector and Kristoff ran in after hearing the sound of a window breaking. Before they could ask what was going on, Wrath was already at the opening of the window before he turned back to address them.

"Take care of Ahimoth, I'm going after Rahim."

With that, he jumped through the opening and balanced himself on the icy rooftops of the castle. He always appreciated the way the castle looked when Elsa added the thin sheet of ice that made the roof glow against the moonlight but it made getting a foot hold somewhat difficult. Pushing that aside, he found his footing before going around the side looking for any more guards that were positioning themselves to enter the throne room.

It wasn't until he went a little further did he find the guards.

They were all dead, hanging from the ropes along the sides of the castle. Wrath grinded his teeth, just how many people did Rahim plan to kill before he faced the real one he wanted. The demon was almost hit by a large object that slid toward him but he moved out the way in time and turned to see what it was. It was once again another guard that was dead but there was something different about this one.

He was missing his rope.

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind, did he feel someone tackle him right off the edge off castle rooftop. He tried to get his bearings and reach a hand out to grab a ledge as he fell but the person who tackled him already grabbed one and swung both of them into a small open balcony where Elsa told him the Yule bell was held during the holidays.

He tried to quickly shake off his daze and face his opponent but he was kicked in the face before being lifted by the collar and coming face to face with Rahim.

"**Having fun?**"

Before he could answer, he was thrown against the edge of the little balcony when he was now aware of something around his neck. He looked up to see Rahim had quickly thrown a rope in his hands over a hidden pulley for the bell before taking it in his hands. Wrath followed the rope and realized too late what the avenger planned on doing with it.

He couldn't get the noose off his neck before Rahim kicked him off the balcony then pulled and hung him from the edge.

While he was happy that his neck didn't snap at the jerk of Rahim holding him up, he could deal without the suffocating as the coarse rope burned into his neck. All the while he could hear the avenger above him laughing.

"**Cause I know I am!**"

* * *

**Hello guys, new chapter up and I hope you liked it. Rahim sure is a twisted fuck huh, thought he was supposed to be a serious dude right? Well then maybe you should keep reading. Anyway like I said, I would have 6 day work weeks but right now I'm in Quarantine for a few days where I can't leave my room. Part of the time I'm stuck in here will be divided between playing Sekiro for some inspiration on how Rahim should fight and playing other games to alleviate my boredom. I'll likely drop another chapter in a few days, maybe 2 if i'm pushing it. Please drop a review or pm me if you want to talk and I hope you all stay tuned.**


	48. Chapter 48

Wrath's first instinct was to dig his fingers into the rope and relieve the tension around his neck but that proved futile as the noose was too tight around his neck since his weight was keeping it secured. As painful as it was to suffocate, he highly doubted Rahim was going to kill him this way. He just wanted to cause him pain and he was off to a great start. Black dots began to swim his vision as he decided to forgo attempting to pull the rope off and just cut the rope with one of the swords at his waist. When he reached down and felt the grip in his palm he flicked his wrist and felt himself fall into the courtyard.

He then reached behind him and pulled up on the base of the noose to release and allow sweet air to flow into his lungs. He would've taken some more time to catch his breath but he noticed a shadow in front of him become bigger and bigger quite quickly. Rolling out of the way, he narrowly dodged the blade that sunk into the ground where his head was. He scrambled into a fighting stance with his two swords drawn while Rahim stayed crouched where he landed.

The avenger turned his head to face his enemy in a slow predatory motion before rising to his height and tugging his weapon out of the ground. "**You're a bit slower than I remember. If you don't pick it up, this won't be as much fun.**" He got into his two handed stance and gave his opponent a moment before he rushed at him with the intention to cut him into itty bitty pieces.

Wrath had to backstep to keep up with the barrage of attacks that came his way, all the while aware of the danger of his weapons breaking. He had to adjust his blocks so no one attack landed with the full weight of his attacker's swing. Each slash was met with a deflection that left a brief opening for the demon but he knew better. If he decided to take one of those openings, he was sure that the avenger would punish him for it, so he just continued to remain on the defensive.

"**Come on, you can do better than that! You've been fighting and killing your entire life, don't tell me you've lost your nerve now!**" Rahim sent a particularly hard swing that Wrath tensed in preparation for it but before their blades could touch, the katana receded and completely changed direction.

_A feint!_

Wrath tried to use his other sword to catch the attack in time but the katana cut clean through the upper portion of his blade while leaving a cut above his left eyebrow. Following through with the way his body turned with the swing, Rahim sent a particularly hard side kick that sent his opponent tumbling away. The Sin quickly rolled into a crouched stance and looked up in time to see a flying piece of metal a few feet from his face.

He pushed off the ground to dodge the incoming projectile but unfortunately it left him open to another strike from his opponent who was standing right next to him. He gasped when he saw the raised blade above him and tried to scramble out of the way before it hit him but failed as a thin slice caught him from the middle of his chest to under his left armpit.

Grinding his teeth to keep from screaming, he backpedaled away as fast he could while keeping an eye on Rahim who remained in his after strike position. Wrath got into his fighting stance and frowned when he saw the state of his left sword. The upper part of his blade had been completely cut off leaving about ¾ of the blade intact. When Rahim made that feint, he panicked and tried to stop his real attack and didn't take into account how much force would be behind it. Even so, he was lucky his blade managed to slow the attack long enough for him to move his head out of the way or he would've lost an eye.

The cut on his head began to bleed profusely and colored his vision red but he could still see so he put that as a small victory. The cut on his chest stung and made his coat sag a little but it could've been much worse. He needed to actually put up a fight instead of remaining on the defensive. His opponent didn't have a body so he couldn't get tired nor could he be wounded. That made fighting him a problem in itself, Wrath thought he could figure something out as they fought but in this brief exchange, he ruled out that going on the defensive was pointless.

That being said, he couldn't just hack and slash recklessly, despite the odd demeanor, this _was _Rahim. He had enough of the man's memories to remember that counter attacking from his sheathed stance was his bread and butter. If Wrath decided to over commit to one strike, he could expect a blade to get lodged in his throat. Which furtherered limited his options. There was only one thing that he could do that would make life a lot easier.

He had to take out that damn katana.

He was sure that he was stronger than Rahim was and in a fist fight, the odds would likely be in his favor. However to get to that point, he had to get rid of the avenger's most prized possession. Such a task would not be easy if not outright impossible but it was the only thing he could come up with.

"**You can't run forever you know. With every wound I inflict on you, you'll get slower and slower until finally you won't be able to move. When that happens, you're going to be all mine and I will only allow you to die when you've suffered enough.**"

Rahim stood up and got into his stance again before rushing once again. Wrath tried to focus his defensives on protecting his head so it wouldn't be lobbed off but his opponent didn't care about it. In their previous exchange, it became clear that Rahim wanted to remove his head so he wouldn't be able to move but now, he was going for anything else. The slightest gap in his opponent's defense was a target to him.

As they continued to cross blades, more and more little wounds appeared on Wrath's body. They were small and inconsequential but they began to add up. Each movement he made would open up his wounds a little more until there were droplets of blood every time he jumped, dodged, or rolled. All the while, his swords began to get nicks all over them from clashing with his opponent's blade. It wouldn't be too much longer before they broke.

However, as they fought, Wrath got better at anticipating Rahim's movements. He could now deflect each hard swing as well as dodge any of them that had significant force behind them.

The avenger went for a hard thrust that his opponent was able to read and sidestep before planting his foot on the back side of the blade and sending it into the ground. It looked like a perfect opportunity to knock the weapon out of his hands but Wrath was forced to back off when Rahim harshly brought his hands up to free his weapon. Hoping to get a wound in, the avenger leapt forward at the unbalanced man in front of him and sent a slash at his chest.

The Sin leaned back and out of the way as the blade tore through his greatcoat but didn't leave a wound. Throughout the fight, his greatcoat continued to be cut over and over until it was tatters hanging on his body. He didn't try to take it off as it would require a moment to do so and he didn't want to give his enemy a free shot especially after he just got used to his attack patterns.

Rahim on the other hand, had actually stopped talking and laughing then proceeded to focus which made his attacks faster and more dangerous. When he could see that relentlessly slashing at his opponent was getting minimal results he decided to switch things up. He reached to his side and grabbed his sheathe then placed his blade inside then got into his iaido stance. His left hand was at the base of the sheathe with his right one ready to draw at a moment's notice. His legs were spread apart with him in a semi crouched stance.

It was during this stance that he would generally wait for an attack before deflecting and counter attacking. Yet he surely knew Wrath wasn't going to take the bait and attack without thought, so the reason for him taking that stance was a mystery to the Sin.

The avenger once again charged in that stance and tensed his right hand which meant an attack was coming. Wrath timed his dodge with the movement of Rahim's right arm which should put him on his opponent's right side and give him an opening. Only, he didn't realize that there was no ring of the katana being drawn and all Rahim did was slash his right hand forward as if he actually had a weapon in hand.

Which gave him the chance to swing his left arm with his sword and sheath in hand into Wrath's right shoulder. The loud pop that resounded was evidence that the avenger knocked his opponent's shoulder out of place but they both ignored that when he kept pressure on his weapon and pushed Wrath to the ground.

Now Rahim was above the Sin with his sheathe in his left hand pinning his opponent to the ground. His feet were on each of Wrath's wrists so the demon wouldn't have been able to use them to free himself. As the two of them stared at one another, the one on top reached down and pulled his blade free from his sheathe and had it poised to bring down on his opponent's head. A beat passed as if the avenger wanted to take in the moment before he brought his blade down with the intent to kill.

Wrath had little time and raised his leg up and aimed a knee in his opponent's back to hopefully knock him off balance. Unfortunately Rahim seemed to anticipate this and jumped above the attack and flicked his wrist creating a gash on the inside of his knee. The demon's eyes widened in pain as he tried to sit up but was pinned back down with a blade going through the right side of his chest and into the ground.

Rahim sat up slowly to take in the sight of his pinned prey before raising his foot and bringing it down on his opponent's right hand. The sounds of bones snapping filled the night air as the young man screamed in pain. He tried to take a swipe with his left arm that the avenger knew to be claws hidden underneath the coat and gloves, and missed when his opponent stepped out of the way.

A solid kick to his forearm had his left arm on the ground before another stomp on his elbow had him hissing in pain. His left arm was stronger and more durable than his right one so the bones held but his arm was still pinned. With his chest impaled into the ground, his right hand completely broken and his left knee having its muscles cut, only his right leg was free to do anything. With no other options he sent a kick at Rahim's head but it was easily caught by the ankle. Another moment later and another scream filled the air as his ankle as well as his knee was broken on that leg from his opponent snapping his ankle with his hand and his knee with his free leg.

Pinned and in incredible pain, Wrath could only focus on breathing as the avenger above him took in the sight of his broken body. One would think that Rahim would be laughing at the situation but for some reason, the inferno of rage only increased. Apparently seeing Wrath under his heel was more infuriating than he thought.

"**This cannot be all the power you have. You've killed many competent warriors in your lifetime. Yet tonight your performance was pitiful. Don't tell me you actually feel guilt for what you've done to me. Remember what the old man said. If you fall here then there is nothing stopping from getting to Elsa, so if you really love her, then I suggest you stop playing possum and give me the fight that I've been training for my entire life.**"

Bending down, Rahim took hold of his katana and ripped it out sideways that cut through a few ribs that had Wrath screaming in pain. Blood began to pool around him as the avenger walked around him and away from him. As he headed toward the front gate of the castle he heard the heavy breaths of his opponent grow harsher and a few coughs escaped him.

"W-where...are you...g-going?"

Rahim didn't turn around, only continued to walk.

"**To get you some motivation.**"

It didn't take much thought to know who he meant and Wrath grew desperate as he tried to force his body to get up. His wounds were profusely bleeding as he found it hard to get his limbs to move with his muscles severed. He rolled on his stomach to see Rahim taking his sweet time to walk into the castle.

_No! Get back here damn it! I'm not done!_

His whole body continued to burn in pain, his left arm was the only thing that worked properly. He was already low on energy and would die if he did not rest but none of those mattered to him. His worst nightmare was heading toward the people he cared for most. He said that he would take care of him but here he was dropping the ball. The training that he went through with Stonewell would've been for nothing if he failed now.

_I've got to win! _

Wrath dug deep into the very depths of his soul. What he was about to do was almost akin to suicide but he didn't care. He would be dead before Rahim took anything precious from him. The small reserve of black dust he had heeded his call, as well as the memories of those he killed that came along with it. Their bitterness and anger at being killed by him stung, but he ignored it.

He felt his wounds mend to the point where he could function but that was it. The rest of it he focused it into giving him the strength to get back on his feet. He took his first step forward and ignored the blinding pain that sent up his body. Then took another and another before he was sprinting toward his enemy. The image got blurry as he ran but his target was clear, his left arm tensed in anticipation as he cocked it back and sent it forward toward the back of Rahim's head.

Only to miss when the avenger cocked his head to the right.

"**So predictable…**"

Wrath had enough time to widen his eyes before he felt his lungs fail. He couldn't breathe as he looked down to see the blade that killed him once deep in his chest. His organs began to fail one at a time like before as Rahim held him up by his weapon.

It was ironic, they were in the same position but their roles reversed.

The avenger watched as the light dimmed in Wrath's eyes, impaled on the weapon he made for just that purpose. He leaned in so he could whisper in the demon's ear. "**I didn't know how much black dust you had left, so I had to make you desperate enough to use the last of it. Acting like a bloodthirsty fool kept you from considering that I actually had an ulterior objective when I killed those men. They were sacrificial pawns to properly motivate you to come to the conclusion that I had to be stopped at all cost, even if that meant using the last of your reserves. Now that it's gone, you're just as mortal as a pathetic human. While I was trapped in that damn world of yours, I've waited for so long to have this moment. Seeing the light fade from your eyes as you realize that you are going to die. I truthfully couldn't have done this without Elsa's help, she made you so desperate and bent you to her pacifistic whims. Had you been killing like the old days, you would've had enough black dust to sustain you but you chose to stay peaceful here.**"

More blood began to erupt from Wrath's mouth as the world began to darken. He fought to keep his eyes open to continue to fight but with each passing moment, he started to drift. Rahim's musings were his only lifeline to stay awake but even they began to fade as time went on.

"**If you took Alrick's offer and hunted down the remains of Rakat's army you would've been strong. Hell, even Stonewell said so, you were made to kill your enemy. You don't belong here, this weak little hamlet has corrupted you, turning you from such a furious monster to little more than a housepet. One so desperate to keep your mistress safe that you let your emotions get the best of you.**"

Rahim ripped his blade out of Wrath's chest and watched him fall to his knees with blood oozing from his wounds. His enemy was defeated and would die soon, but the avenger did want one more thing.

He raised his blade in his two handed grip.

Before his mother's killer would die, he'd remove the demon's head just as Wrath did his mother. He wanted the last image the demon saw was his own headless corpse before he passed on to the afterlife.

Such poetic justice that he was denied in his first life was something he would take in his next.

* * *

Kristoff and Hector had watched Wrath go through the broken window a while ago before seeing to the Prince. The mountain man had recoiled at the sight while the noble pressed his finger's to the large man's neck. When he felt a pulse, he motioned for the ice harvester to help him life the Prince. The two of them each took an arm before lifting him up and shuffling out the throne room.

They passed a few guards being taken care of by the staff who had been awakened due to the loud noises. Kai was seeing to one of the guards at the base of the staircase that was on the way to the infirmary when he noticed the three headed his way. "Your Highness! Sir Bowman! What has happened, why are there so many wounded?"

Kristoff was about to reflexively tell the plump man he didn't have to address him by that title when he was cut off by Hector. "The castle is under attack, an intruder broke in and attempted to assassinate Her Majesty. Fortunately he was repelled and Edward is in pursuit as we speak. We are relocating all the wounded to the infirmary where the Queen is since it currently is the most heavily defended point in the castle."

"Is the intruder in league with King Hans?"

"No, he's an entirely different enemy. According to one of our guards, Hans caught wind of the assassination plot and sent his personal guards to reinforce us but they have been killed."

Both Kristoff and Kai had dubious looks on their faces when they heard the Hans had '_caught wind' _of an assassination attempt and had sent men to help them. They had the feeling that Hans had a hand in this and sent those two men to assist the intruder. While Kai didn't know any better, Kristoff believed that Rahim showing up the same time Hans did was no coincidence. Plus there was the fact that the avenger wanted to _kill _Elsa.

If Grad Pabbie was right in thinking Wrath and Edward were the same then Elsa's death would be the last thing that came from their minds. Kristoff may not have known Wrath yet he knew Edward and he knew that the young man loved the blonde deeply. If Rahim came from either of them then hurting Elsa wasn't a possibility.

Which made him think that somehow Hans was the cause of this since he already tried to kill Elsa before. The mountain man may have been jumping to conclusions but he was fine with that. It was nice to see that Kai thought the same as he joined the three of them to the infirmary and opened the door so they could shuffle through. When they walked in with Ahimoth in their arms, Elsa and Anna gasped in horror.

Doctor Steward turned at the commotion and dropped the tool he had in his hand as he took in the large man's condition. "Dear God! Put him over there right now and give me room!" The two men compiled with his orders and deposited the Prince into an empty bed before they moved away to let the Doctor work. As they watched him go about his business, Stonewell frowned on his bed. He had seen the state the large man came in and could easily tell that he'd been tortured. There wasn't anyone else but Rahim that could've done such a thing and it made him think of the runt he was fighting against.

_If he was willing to do that to his best friend, imagine what he'll do to his mother's killer._

The Captain kept those thoughts to himself as he didn't want to worry anyone, yet he could tell that Elsa had the same thought he had. He watched her face become worried as she glanced at the door to the infirmary for a moment too long for his liking. "Don't even think about it."

The blonde turned his way and met his stern glare head on with a stubborn one of her own. Any other time he would've been proud but right now he was two seconds from limping over and putting her in a timeout.

"He will be fine, you'll only make things worse if you go."

Elsa bit her lip when she heard him say that and wished to argue but couldn't find the words. She had faith that he would be ok, she really did but with each passing moment something gnawed at her. She had some kind of sense that she needed to go to him right now or something terrible would happen. She reasoned that it could perhaps be her generic sense of foreboding and worrying that made her feel that way but she couldn't halt its growth in the pit of her stomach.

"I believe that, but it's just...what if he needs help and no one is there to give it to him?"

"And what if he has everything under control and you showing up gives the enemy the opening they need to turn the tables?"

The blonde flinched at the question and wished that very scenario didn't play out in her mind. She could see her arriving when Wrath had Rahim pinned and him looking up at her in surprise before a blade appeared in his chest. He looked down at the protrusion as blood erupted from his mouth before looking at her in shock then fell to the ground dead while Rahim stood up and thanked her for his victory.

She didn't want to imagine that, she wanted to have faith that he would be fine but the pit _continued _to grow. It _demanded _that she go right this instant to his side. Stonewell could see the war play out on her face and beckoned her to come closer. The blonde took a few steps and sat down next to him as he sat up and for once, he took on a gentle expression.

"I understand, with everything going on and you seeing all these people getting hurt, you don't want the person you care for to be one of them. It's the same reason why you sent Anna and Kristoff away when Hans arrived because you didn't want them hurt. You knew that he would use them against you and that you would fold to whatever he planned if he had them. Imagine how Edward feels, he's facing the past who wants to kill him using any means necessary. If you arrived to help him, he'd be so preoccupied watching out for you that he wouldn't be able to fight effectively. If you want to help him then you need to stay here and let him focus."

Elsa understood what he was saying. He was right, she was afraid Hans would use Anna against her and she knew that she would've gone along with anything he said if he did. She could see Edward bending to Rahim's whims if the same happened to him. She didn't want to hurt his chances of being alright just because she worried too much. While the pit in her stomach continued to grow and grow, she decided to ignore it as best she could and just keep telling herself that he would be fine.

"Ok…I see your point. You have faith he'll be fine so I should too."

The old man smiled before laying back against his bed with a grunt. Despite the brave face he had on, he was frowning on the inside as he thought about the young man. While they had been training on that mountain and Edward had passed his balance test, the old man had taught him to have a resistance against _outside _forces. Mainly threats that came from other people, not himself.

He knew that on some level, Edward thought of himself as Rahim who lived through life and died. He thought that this life was a second chance. Seeing the original Rahim full of bloodlust and hate for his being could be quite jarring and distracting. There was also the chance that Edward wouldn't _want _to destroy Rahim since they could be the same person.

There was a chance he could hesitate in the face of his former self and with his opponent in mind, the Captain knew that any sort of hesitation would lead to grave consequences. It was why he reminded him what would happen if he fell or hesitated before he left. The old man wanted to impress the fact that if Edward fell then Elsa would be vulnerable.

It was a low blow but Stonewell played on the young man's protective feelings. He hoped that they would outweigh any sense of guilt or apprehension he had at facing the avenger. Rahim had already demonstrated that he was willing to go through anyone that got in his way and unlike their first battle against each other. Wrath didn't have access to all of his abilities.

There was also the fact that Rahim's body was different, he wouldn't tire or sustain any wounds. He could continue to fight forever if he felt like it. In fact given what he knew about both their bodies, the avenger had the advantage when considering his body and weapon. If that katana was truly as dangerous as Edward believed then it could maybe sever his left arm and rob him of the advantage it gave him.

The old man may have sounded so sure that the young man would win but the one thing about battle that was constant, was the fact that anything could happen. Any small thing could turn the tide at a moment's notice and take a sure victory and turn it into defeat. He hoped that small thing would be in Edward's favor but the pit in his stomach told him otherwise.

He kept that to himself and watched Elsa walk to one of the windows that looked out to Arendelle. She was likely going to look over to the village as well as the ice roofs that decorated her castle. It used to be a pastime of hers and would help her think whenever something bothered her. He also knew that it was a habit of hers when she was a child to look out at the village to the outside world.

While he believed that she could be a threat to her kingdom, he thought that it was an exercise in futility to keep her locked up in her room. She could've easily busted out whenever she wished and all the time she was locked in her room would've been better spent letting her practice her abilities.

He knew that she was a peaceful person and would never use her abilities to hurt people but as a soldier, he could see all the wasted potential. If she had half the battle experience he did, he would've encouraged her to assist Edward as he knew that she wouldn't hesitate and be a real threat. Yet he knew that her kindness was both her strength and weakness, in the face of a bloodthirsty monster, it was better if she stayed away from that battle.

He watched her a little longer before her face became really panicked when she seemed to see something. Turning around to face the window, he made a quick scan of the courtyard where he could make out two figures. As his eyes focused on them, his heart leapt up into his throat when he could see that Wrath had been pinned by Rahim. Before he could say anything, the window was open and Elsa already had made an ice slide.

"No, don't!"

His cry alerted everyone in the room as they saw the blonde hop out the window and onto the slide which evaporated as she went down it. Anna's cry for her sister filled the room as Hector quickly sprinted out the room hoping to get down to the courtyard before it was too late. Stonewell tried to get out of his bed and run down to help but his legs gave out on him and he fell to the ground.

Cursing angrily, all he could do was shuffle to the window sill and pull himself up to watch his granddaughter head straight into the jaws of danger.

* * *

When Elsa saw the young man pinned to the ground, she didn't think, she just acted. She watched Rahim walk away from the downed young man and he struggled back to his feet to continue fighting and her scream was stuck in her throat when she saw him get stabbed.

The blonde hit the ground as soon as the young man hit his knees. Rahim gripped his weapon in a two handed style and had it poised for the final blow. Elsa cocked her hand back and sent it forward putting everything in the icicle and watched it fly through the air, hoping desperately that it would hit its target. As it got closer and closer, she was sure that her aim was true and it would connect with the avenger who was still focused on his downed opponent.

Unfortunately, Rahim's head snapped to her at the last moment and he twisted his body out the way of the incoming projectile. The two of them held each other in their gaze as Elsa continued to run as fast as her feet could take her, hoping desperately to get there in time to save the person she cared for.

"**Well isn't that precious? Just in time for the end.**"

Elsa didn't know which one of the two of them that Rahim was speaking to but she was quickly closing the distance between them. She refrained from firing another blast of ice magic as she didn't want to hit the young man and focused all of her energy into running. She was just a few meters away from reaching him.

_Just one more moment…_

Unfortunately that was one moment too much as the distinct ring that haunted Wrath's past filled the air and his headless corpse collapsed in front of her. The blonde stopped in her tracks and her mouth was agape as Rahim held the young man's head in his free hand and turned it so that they could look each other in the eyes once more.

On the young man's face was an expression of pain and sadness but his eyes had one emotion that on any other occasion would've filled her with happiness. With the very last of his strength leaving him, the young man spoke the words that he had been dying to tell the platinum beauty for the longest time.

"I-i...love you…"

After those words left his mouth, Rahim crushed the head in his hands and watched it explode in a cloud of black dust. The body soon followed after and dispersed in a cloud of dust as well, leaving behind a dull red stone. Elsa stood still for a moment as she seemed to replay what just happened in front of her a few times as memories of the time the two spent together blurred in her mind. Those memories forced the scream that had been previously stuck in her throat.

"_**EDWARD!**_"

The avenger watched the blonde drop to her knees with tears streaming down her cheeks as she continued to look at the space where the young man had occupied a few seconds ago. The heart wrenching scream that filled the air didn't bother him in the slightest. All it did was slightly amuse him as he considered that he probably became Wrath in the woman's eyes. He wordlessly bent down to pick up the stone and held it in his hand while leaning in close to the woman's face.

"**Couldn't have done it without you.**"

He didn't become Wrath, he was _so _much worse than Wrath.

* * *

**I killed him! And right in front of Elsa too, I am so evil :D. Now that Rahim has finally completed his quest, wonder what he'll do now that Elsa is right in front of him. Hopefully I can knock out a new chapter in a few days. I still got a little less than a week in total quarantine so I should be able to if nothing happens. Please drop a review and tell me what you think, stay tuned!**


	49. Chapter 49

Elsa let the tears fall down onto the ground as she gingerly picked up the torn coat that Edward wore and hugged them to her chest. All the while aware of the being right in front of her who looked down at her like wounded prey. Rationally, she knew she should move and defend herself but the memories of the young man crippled her. She thought about the first time she'd ever seen him and thought how rough he looked. He may have helped Kristoff but she instantly had a slight distrust for the man and only allowed him to be taken care of out of respect for that fact.

She planned on having him set out to conduct whatever business he had for coming to Arendelle until she learned that he was from Blackdust and knew about Elementals. That made her shift her plans a little to learn all she could from him as soon as possible. It was what a Queen should do but with every little interaction they had, she went from being a Queen to being Elsa.

Then she was kidnapped and when she needed someone the most, he arrived just in time. He showed her the dark part of him and felt that using his forbidden side was worth it if it saved her. He put her first before him not because she was the Queen, because she meant something to him that he didn't even know at the time. He was selfless, kind, courageous, insightful, intelligent, and supportive, many good qualities for someone to fall in love with.

He trusted her enough to confess to his sins and bared his soul to her even when she could've had him executed for such crimes. It was humbling to know that he held her in such high regard and that he paid enough attention to her to have little insights about her. He could easily carry a conversation with her on almost any topic and know when she would like to keep her thoughts to herself and when she didn't want to be the one to voice something that needed to be said. She didn't force her to say things and would rather wait until she was comfortable with saying them and he didn't push her. He was always supportive and had her safety and wellbeing at the forefront of his mind.

There was also his strength that she knew he possessed yet always treated her like a gentle flower. She had seen him rip a man's arm off and beat him to death with it but whenever he held her, she never felt safer. That was the paradox that was Edward. He was the worst nightmare of a bloodthirsty killer yet to her he was the best dream she ever had.

And now he's gone.

She let the sobs wracked her body as Rahim continued to watch her silently as he seemed to be waiting for something. The avenger was intently focused on her with no intention of attacking her. He wanted to see the moment, the moment her sorrow would turn to rage. All humans were predictable in that aspect, he had done it, all the Mystic Guard members had done it, so she would too.

He thought his earlier comment about how he couldn't have done it without her would push her over the edge but it hadn't. All it did was drove her into deeper sadness. Maybe she had been broken beyond rage and would remain in this pitiful state indefinitely. From Wrath's memories of her, she was such a weak pacifist, always tip-toeing into a room when she could command anyone inside.

Her power was immense, she _should've_ been able to combat him but she was too weak to. Raith had been a lightning Elemental and decimated quite a few of Mystic Guard members but not even his power held a candle to hers. It was why he so intently watched her during his time in Arendelle because if he were to give her an opening, that would be it. Yet even when he established himself as a danger, she _still _held back.

_Well…_

Rahim turned to the icicle that was embedded into the ground a few meters away. The ground was completely dug up with the force of the shard and at the base of the impact crater was more ice shards jutting up like a flower. That attack she sent his way certainly would've killed any human if it hit them but was so obvious when he saw it heading his way. A novice would've been able to dodge the attack yet she still sent it with real desperation in her core.

While he held Wrath's head in front of her, he waited for the demon to say some meaningful thing to her just so he could accent her despair and crush the head right after. Hearing him say he loved her for the first time ever was better than the avenger could've hoped. To see her drop to her knees and clutch the tatters of his coat to her chest was exquisitely delightful to him. He could see it in the way her shoulders shook that he truly devastated her.

Yet he still didn't feel an ounce of anger come from her.

Reaching out with his free hand, he gently placed a hand under her chin and lifted her face up so she could look at him with tears leaking from her eyes.

"**You hate me don't you? You hate me for taking someone that you love right in front of you. The despair you feel right now is only a prelude of the storm of hatred that will consume your life. Nothing will be able to settle the storm inside you, only my death will bring you some semblance of peace that has been forever stolen from you as long as I'm alive.**"

He had hoped that she needed a quick jumpstart or an explanation of what she should be feeling but her facial expression did not change. He did not feel any anger come from her at all, just the obvious sense that she was deeply hurt by her loss. The more he held her gaze and didn't see those blue eyes of hers ignite into rage, the more he thought that perhaps she was just broken beyond all repair.

When he finally decided that this was a waste of time and that he should be on his way, did she finally speak.

"I don't hate you. I pity you."

Out of all the things she could've said, he did _not _expect that. Not only was it completely unexpected but it was completely out of place given the situation. _She _pitied _him_?! How could that line of thought have _possibly _crossed her mind given what had just happened. She loses a loved one and she pities the person that took them away from her? The avenger couldn't possibly understand that line of thought no matter how many times he turned it over in his head.

"**You pity me? That's an odd thing to say given what you just lost. I cannot begin to understand why you would feel that way towards me. Are you perhaps so weak that you cannot build the anger that comes from a loss and so you decided to just accept that there is nothing you can do to make me pay? If that's the case then I should perhaps be the one who pities you, a weak woman who cannot honor someone she loved.**"

The tears on the blond's face stilled but remained on her cheeks as her eyes became more defiant as she stared at him.

"I am honoring him. You spent your entire life consumed by your lust for revenge that you died the day he took away your mother. You've spent every moment since then with the single minded desire to destroy someone who was just as much as a victim as you. All the happiness you could've had you squandered and everyone you killed for the sake of achieving your goal was for _your _sake, not the sake of the one who died. Your mother would've never wanted you to cause so much pain and death on her account, she would've wanted you to live your own life and grow."

Elsa rose to her feet and clenched her fists as she stood tall to the avenger and spoke her mind. "Even with all the darkness and pain that was his past, Edward _still _found his way to happiness. He took one step forward at a time to get to where he was, he tried to make amends for what he has done and tried to be a better person for it. You on the other hand, _chose _to stay in the dark and lose yourself to anger within you until you couldn't see that you involved innocent people that had nothing to do with your problems."

The blonde took a step forward and jabbed him in the chest with her finger so she could get her point across. Even with tears in her eyes, she refused to back down or shy away from the thing in front of her. In her off hand, she could feel the pocket watch that they all had gotten for the young man held tightly in her hand and it gave her the strength to say her next words.

"So _yes, _I pity you because you aren't nearly as strong as Edward was!"

The whole courtyard seemed reverberate with the force of her shout as she began to breathe heavily after finishing what she said. Elsa felt suddenly breathless as she let out what was on her mind. While it was true she was devastated right now, one hug from Anna, she'd probably be sobbing uncontrollably, she couldn't just sit back and let this _thing _tell her how to honor someone that would _never _want her to act like he suggested.

Edward was a gentle soul that was capable of doing what he needed to if things went too far out of control. His anger was definitely a prominent trait but he kept it under control and only let it out for important reasons. He confided into her that he wished that he could find another way than just killing everything that stood in his path. That he wished that he could be better and just protect the people he cared about. Succumbing to the same despicable level that Rahim did was something Edward would ever want for the woman he loved. He cherished her kindness and never wanted her to lose that part of herself.

That was what she told herself while she clutched his coat to her chest. It was because of that she didn't lose control and let out all her pain in a violent manner. She wanted to be as strong as Edward truly believed she was.

Rahim on the other hand, felt the inferno of rage arise. Not in the woman in front of him, he felt it in himself.

_How dare she say that I am not as strong as Wrath was! _

_I killed him! _

_I'm the victor! _

_After everything he's done, he __**DESERVES DEATH! **_

The avenger looked down at the insignificant _pest _that was in front of him and felt his rage continue to build. If it were even possible, he was angrier than he was with Wrath. This woman was no threat to him and he could kill her quite easily yet she dares to sit here and openly question his life choices and desires. What could she _possibly _know about him?! Whatever Wrath told her didn't give her the right to judge, she knows _nothing_ about how much he had suffered.

The more he thought about Elsa, the angrier he got and the more he felt the inferno of vengeful rage become focused on her. He had wanted to see her fall to anger and show how weak of a person she was, but Rahim lost interest in that possibility. Now more than ever, he wanted something more than Wrath's death or suffering.

He wanted her dead.

"Queen Elsa!"

The two of them turned when they recognized that voice. Hector was sprinting over to the blonde with his maces in his hands ready to fight at a moment's notice. When he got close enough, the noble took a quick swing at the intruder who simply stepped out of the way and let the guard get in between him and that pest.

Rahim regarded the noble with a critical eye for a moment as he felt his rage at the blonde lessen a bit yet continued to smoulder. As he focused on the guard, he could feel the anger that was in the man in front of him's heart. He could see images flash through his mind that all felt connected to the man's rage. He was mad at the Queen for always running ahead into danger and making his job harder.

Yet there was something more, there was genuine wrath buried deep inside the noble.

The more Rahim focused, the more he began to uncover what the man was hiding.

"Your Majesty! This is not the time to run off on your own! You could've been killed and that would've been a serious blow to Arendelle!" Before Elsa could respond, the avenger spoke first.

"**Well it wouldn't be the first blow she's dealt Arendelle would it? That snowstorm was such a harsh one wasn't it? You were prepared for it, Stonewell made damn sure of it, but **_**they **_**weren't, were they?**"

Hector whirled around to face the intruder as his hands tightened on his weapons. He told himself to calm down but his body continued to shake in quiet rage. There was no way for him to know what had happened in the cave. Yet the way he talked made it seemed he knew exactly what had happened. Elsa looked confused behind them as she heard chuckle before he continued.

"**You weren't even on duty and when they needed you most, you failed them. You gave them your food, braved the elements for them, but all your effort amounted to them dying in that cave.**"

"Shut up…"

Rahim could tell Hector was dying to rip him to shreds yet the guard had a duty to protect the Queen. The avenger didn't really think much of the noble at first, that initial feeling probably came from Edward since the two of them didn't really get along but Rahim could feel the rage swirling inside the noble and respected him for it. He may have been a weak human, but he wasn't afraid of using his talents, he knew how to get ahead in life and fulfill his goals. The avenger wanted to see how this would play out so he continued to speak.

"**What did you tell their families I wonder. That you had a camping accident and all but you died? They must've been a tad bit suspicious, maybe they blame you for all of their deaths but you and I both know who's responsible.**"

Hector knew what the enemy wanted, it was a basic strategy. Disrupt the mind of your opponent and use their weaknesses against them. He targeted Elsa earlier and was aware of her abilities. Now that there were two against him, he would try to give himself an advantage. Turning her own guard against her was a good strategy, one that would likely give him the chance to kill her. Even though the noble knew that very well, he couldn't stop the rage that he buried deep inside from coming to the surface.

Rahim was right, he told his friends' families that there was a camping accident and they all but him died. He didn't tell them that his friends died to a snowstorm that their Queen had created. He didn't want to cause a rift in Arendelle over a simple vendetta. Elsa has done good for Arendelle, he could admit that but he could also admit that she _was _a threat. One that he had faith the council would mitigate if they could gain control of her. It was why he took this assignment, why he buried his deep feelings so he wouldn't go crazy looking at her every day.

"Hector, what is he talking about?"

The noble turned around to see her blissfully ignorant face. In her hands was still the bloodied greatcoat that belonged to Edward who was nowhere to be found. He had heard her shriek and see the tear stained cheeks of her and was surprised she hadn't broken down yet. He didn't want to have this conversation now, there was an enemy in front of the two of them and if they didn't stay focused, they would both die.

Unfortunately, Rahim didn't care that Hector didn't want to speak.

"**I'm talking about the snowstorm that you created on your coronation. The one your council said that didn't take a single life. They lied to you. There were four fatalities. Hector here watched them all go, trapped in a cave with no food and nothing left to do except watch them freeze one at a time.**"

Shock appeared on the woman's face as she whirled to the noble's face hoping desperately that he would deny the accusation. When he looked at her with a cold look and said nothing, did her legs finally give out. Her breaths began to increase and icey puffs escaped her lips as she started to shake.

She had asked over and over if there were _any _fatalities due to her snowstorm. Multiple times she was told that no one died, she had scoured the village registry and spent hours at the church as well as the morgue to make sure that no one died to freezing to death. She wanted to know that no one died due to her lack of control. After she was sure that no one did, she did her best to make up for that debacle, property and crops could be replaced.

Lives could not.

As she sat there with a shocked expression frozen on her face, Rahim started to laugh. Seeing defiant eyes being broken down into despair twice was quite satisfying but he wanted to see them vacant. He took another moment to enjoy it before taking a step forward and was about to draw his weapon when he leaned back to avoid a mace aimed at his head. He angled his head toward Hector who stood in front of the woman with a fierce glare.

"**You can't seriously want to protect her after she killed your friends? I can feel how much anger you have aimed at her. There's no one here but us three, you clearly can't fight me, no one will be able to blame you if she dies.**"

"That may be the case but I took an oath. It is my duty to protect the Queen of Arendelle."

Rahim would've had a confused expression if he had a distinguishable face. He couldn't understand why someone with a clear hatred for someone else who was responsible for someone's death, didn't wish for the guilty party's life. In the avenger's opinion, Hector was resolved of any duty he may have sworn to the Queen after she was responsible for the death of his friends in which he was blamed for.

Yet here he was, ready to defend her against a superior opponent that he had no chance against.

"**You are a fool. Revenge is all that matters, any intelligent human would be able to tell you that when someone takes something from you, you take it back. When someone beats you in a fight, you train and give them payback. When someone kills someone you love, you kill them. That is what it means to be human. We are a violent race that have been killing each other for less for centuries. Only when you have purpose in killing another, is when one can become stronger.**"

"What a load of crap."

Rahim's eyes would've narrowed in annoyance and confusion as Hector continued to speak.

"Just because you couldn't get over your mommy's death doesn't mean that everyone is like you. Only weak people let revenge consume them. The thing about 'an eye for an eye' is that everyone ends up blind. Yeah it may feel good at that moment when you finally get your revenge but what are you left with? What are _you _left with? Edward's dead, you don't even have a body, you _can't _do anything, all you are is doomed to roam this mortal plane without feeling anything. Sounds like hell to me."

The avenger's grip on his weapon tightened as he could pick out the humorous tone coming from the noble. This worm had the gall to _laugh _at him?! He already proved earlier how easy it was to subdue him, what was with these Arendellians? Did they all just have a death wish?

"Do I have my issues with the Queen? You're damn right I do. After tonight, I'm going to give her an earful. Yet despite what she's done in the past, it's what she's done since then that matters."

Elsa slowly began to look up at Hector's back as he continued to defend her from her attacker. "She works herself to the bone to do what's best for the people and Arendelle. Under her watch we have flourished and the people are happy, she _is _Arendelle and she would defend it if push came to shove. As long as she stands for Arendelle, I _will _protect her despite whatever I feel because I know that if one of her people needed saving, she'd be the first to run to their aid. That's what makes her stronger than any other ruler, with or without her powers."

The blonde let a few more tears fall from her face before she got to her feet and wiped her face with her sleeve. When she was done, she took a step forward so that she was next to Hector and held her hands out in front of her with ice dancing in her palms. While she was still shaken by the revelation that people had lost lives thanks to her, she still had a duty to uphold. She had sworn to protect her people, Hector was part of that, he may have been charged to protect her but she would assist him because he was her people. So no matter what inner turmoil she had in her heart, she would always stand up to defend her people.

Rahim looked at the two of them for a moment and could see that they were both quite serious about fighting him. He listened to what they had to say and deemed them as delusional and even more pathetic than average humans. As such, he would take great pleasure in killing them both.

He took a moment to tie the dull red stone that used to be Wrath's core to his weapon using the gray strings near the base of the sheathe. It was a wonderful addition to his prized weapon, the heart of his mother's killer now on display whenever he drew his weapon. Grasping the hilt with his hand, Rahim drew the katana with no rush and let its ring fill the air as he stared down his two opponents.

"**At least now Wrath won't go to hell alone.**"

* * *

_Drip…drop… _

_Drip…drop… _

The sound of water continued to echo in his ears as he opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was that he was laying down and the ground felt so cool against his skin. He had no idea where he was or how he got here, it was as if he had just awoken from a deep slumber. His surroundings were white, just a white void as he continued to look up. He turned his head slightly to see that the ground in which he was laying down on was like water. There were no ripples, just a neverending expanse of a reflective surface that looked familiar.

He continued to lay there, it could've been minutes or hours, or perhaps it has been days, weeks, months, or maybe even years. He just continued to lay there. His body was too lax to get up from the reflective surface. His mind wasn't anymore helpful as it couldn't even form a thought or desire for him to get up.

He just continued to stare into the white void above him and listened to the only sound that existed on this plane.

_Drip…drop… _

_Drip…drop… _

"_**ello…**_"

His brows crinkled at the faint sound that broke the monotony of sounds that enveloped this space. He wanted to investigate what made the sound but his mind fought him at every turn, soon he was docile again and continued to listen to the sound that repeated itself once again.

_Drip…drop… _

_Drip…drop… _

"_**Hey…**_"

There it was again, another interruption that broke his tranquil state of mind and made he want to investigate. His mind once again fought to keep him docile and return to listening to the sound of water. His struggles lasted for another moment before he was lax again and was hypnotized by the sound of water.

_Drip…drop… _

_Drip…drop… _

"_**GET UP!**_"

The calm surface of the water that was ground shook as waves exploded all around him as the peace he had was destroyed. He felt his body get hit with the waves that threw around until finally one knocked him under the reflective surface. The white void instantly disappeared and was replaced with darkness and hellish wailing.

There was so much that he tried to clamp his ears but the wails were in his bones, in his very soul. There were way too many to count, he was going to go crazy listening to all of them.

So he tried to return to the peacefulness that was the white void by swimming to the surface but as he was about to break the surface, his head smashed against it and he found he couldn't get through it. He stayed there and tried to break through the barrier with his fists but no matter how much he pounded, it wouldn't give.

The wails continued to grow louder and louder as he tried desperately to return to the peace that was the white void.

"_I don't think you want to do that._"

Somehow the soft voice reached his ears despite the wails and the young man looked around desperately for the origin of the voice. He couldn't see anything with how dark it was as he tried to remember where the voice came from.

"_It's quite loud here, you won't get anything done with all that wailing._"

"I can't make it stop!"

The voice chuckled as the young man heard the earlier sound of water.

_Drip…drop… _

_Drip…drop… _

"_Of course you can, you're the one who's wailing._"

The young man's eyes widened as he blinked and the darkness of the veil lifted to see hundreds of copies of him all in the same posture he was except that they were all screaming at once. Their bodies were all cut up and injured in some way with varying degrees of wounds that looked fatal.

As he watched all of them, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his left knee before another wave of pain coming from his chest. He held in his screams as he didn't want to add even more wails to the already ear splitting surroundings. Next came every bone in his right hand being snapped that broke the seal on his mouth. Then came the feeling of his left elbow being crushed before finally his right knee and ankle were broken.

His wails joined the others as he continued to scream in pain as all of the other's wounds began to assault him with pain.

He continued to scream in absolute agony as he felt himself die over and over only for the pain to increase every time. He wanted it to end, he wanted all the pain to go away. As he begged for it to go away, he felt the barrier to the white void begin to weaken. With the desperation of a mad man, he savagely began to beat into the barrier and to his pleasure he watched cracks beginning to form in front of him. It wouldn't take too many hits before the barrier would give and he would return to the peacefulness that was the white void.

"_I'm warning you. You really don't want to do that._"

The thought was ludicrous, he was in Hell right now. He would do anything to make it all go away, which was why he kept beating on the barrier and with a yell sent a punch that broke the barrier and the hand that made it through was instantly assaulted by sweet peace. The young man clawed at the hole and made it bigger and bigger until it was big enough to fit through.

He could see the white void and was about to dive in head first but a hand grabbed his shoulder. The grip on his shoulder made the wails somehow get even louder and the young man turned feral trying to remove it but they held on.

"_If you go into that void, you'll be leaving everyone behind._"

The young man followed the hand that was on his shoulder until he saw Mr. Jorgen sitting next to him, _upside down._ Somehow, the old man was sitting against the barrier like he was sitting underwater on the water's edge and the young man was swimming to break the surface. The old man's face was peaceful as if he couldn't hear the wailing but it still rang excruciatingly painfully in the young man's.

He didn't care about the old man's warning, he wanted this Hell to end. So he fought to break free of the grip on his shoulder so he could finally get the peace that he's been wanting for so long.

"_Is that really all they meant to you? The promise of eternal peace is enough to forsake all of them?_"

He wouldn't have listened, if one of the wails changed in pitch and voice. For a moment, he forgot all about the other wails and tried to focus on that particular wail that was so different from the others. As he looked around the sea of copies, he could see deep into the darkness was Elsa screaming her lungs out.

Without much thought, he swam toward the blonde but with each push he made the other wails would continue to get louder and louder. As he continued to get closer to her, she sank more and more. He needed to get them both to the void so that they could escape this Hell, that single thought kept him swimming but his body kept being attacked by the wails that weakened his body.

_Leave her…_

He shook that thought away as he continued to swim.

_Go back to the peace…_

He shut his eyes and kept pushing himself.

_You never belonged anyway, she'll be better off if you never existed…_

Tears stung his eyes as he opened his eyes and he could see that she was arms length away. He reached out with desperation and as he was about to grab her, she exploded into black dust right in front of him, and the wails volume went up to an unimagined degree. He needed to get back to the peace, this was too much for him to take. As he was about to turn and swim back, he heard another voice.

"_**OVER HERE!**_"

It was the voice from earlier but now it was much closer. At first he couldn't hear it calling to him but now he could recognize it with the wails engulfing him.

Opposite from the way to the white void was another reflective surface. This one didn't have a white void on the other side, this one had a black sky with a full moon. That wasn't all that was there, he could make out someone on the other side of the reflective surface. He saw himself banging against it trying to get his attention.

He reached out toward himself and felt the wails impossibly get louder. He flinched back and looked back to the white void and could feel it beckoning him forward. The wails around him were so painful and if he kept going toward the other surface it would only get more painful. It made the white void all the more appealing, yet at the back of his mind, he felt that he should go toward himself who was banging on the surface.

As he drifted there undecided if he wanted more pain or not, he took another push toward himself to see if he could deal with the wails but he felt a sharp pain across his chest as something rushed by him. He looked down to see black dust flowing from a deep cut on his chest and he looked around to trace where it had come from.

Not two meters away was another copy of himself, but this one was wearing his old Mystic Guard uniform and had his fabled katana in hand. The copy put himself in between him and the other reflective surface and pointed toward the white void without saying a word.

He held his wound with his hand as it hurt even more than the wails and felt himself drift back toward the white void with the copy following him, making sure he did return.

"_**THAT'S THE WRONG WAY, YOU NEED TO COME HERE!**_"

He could hear the desperation that came from the first copy's voice but his body kept drifting closer and closer to the hole. The wails gradually got smaller as did the voice that begged him to swim toward the full moon. Before long, he and the copy had return to Mr. Jorgen who looked up from his sitting position and was saddened to see that they had returned.

The copy swam forward and held the tip of his blade at the old man's throat daring him to make a move as he moved away and motioned that the hole was clear. He looked at the two of them before looking at the hole to white void as it felt so inviting to just surrender to the peace that it offered. He was about to dive in head first when Mr. Jorgen spoke again.

"_Is this really what you want? Your entire life you struggled, and now you're just going to accept this is how it ends? Are you really willing to give up after enduring all the pain that you went through your entire life. Are Elsa and everyone in Arendelle not worth fighting through this Hell for? Do they really mean that little to you, Wrath?_"

He looked down at his hands and saw that they were claws instead of human hands as his mind cleared a little bit. He was Wrath the Furious. The Sin that was an attack dog for Father his entire life and killed so many people and was hunted down and killed by one of his victims. Rahim had come from the dead to kill him and succeeded.

He looked at Rahim as he held Mr. Jorgen by swordpoint and swiped his katana, making the old man disappear before turning his blade toward the demon.

"You've suffered enough, it's time to let go and enjoy the peace that you've been denied your entire miserable existence."

Wrath looked unsure but the sound of wails increasing had him inching closer and closer to the hole. His entire life was pain, and he was tired of feeling it.

_They don't need you. _

_They would be safer without you._

_All you are is a weapon. _

The voices came back and deadened his mind as he was about to raise a clawed hand to enter the void.

_All you are is a monster._

Wrath's hand halted as it almost touched the void. His mind began to echo with one word.

_Monster… _

What was so important about that word?

The demon racked his brain trying to figure out what was with that word but kept coming up blank. He knew what the word meant of course but what about it was important? He guessed that by definition he could be considered a monster…

_You aren't a monster!_

Wrath's head rang with that sentence as Elsa's voice echoed all around them. He remembered that she hated when Edward called himself a monster and made him not call himself that anymore. The demon never agreed to the woman's terms and could do so but it gave him a headache whenever he thought he was.

_You're a monster…_

_You're not a monster..._

_You're a monster._

_You're not a monster._

_You're a monster!_

_You're not a monster!_

_**You're a monster!**_

_**You're not a monster!**_

Wrath put both his hands on his head, the voices kept warring in his head. He recognized the first one as Rahim's while the other's was Elsa's. They were both splitting his head open that he wanted to jump into the void but another part of him wanted to bash his head into a brick wall.

One would grant him peace while the other would give him pain.

Logically, he knew that he should go with the option that gave him peace but he felt his very nature argue against it. His instincts were telling him to fight. His soul was screaming at him to break free.

His brain kept arguing that accepting the peace that was being offered right now would give him eternal relief. His soul though told him differently.

It showed him his life, all the bad that eventually led to _her. _

His mind was beginning to split into two and he was going to go crazy if he didn't make a decision.

"Eternal peace is right there."

"_**WRATH, YOU NEED TO FIGHT!**_"

The demon roared before turning his claws on Rahim and skewering the young man on them. The two of them looked at one another for a moment before the avenger's face scrunched up in rage.

"Hell it is."

All at once, all the other suffering copies swam with their own katanas on the demon's position. Wrath threw away the first copy and swam as fast as he could toward the full moon and the one copy that was banging on the surface. He weaved as much as possible to avoid all the attacks that came on him from all sides but one connected until more did as well. Before long he was rained on by cuts that didn't leave an inch of his body without a blade cutting into it.

Death of a thousand cuts sounded painless compared to the millions and millions of cuts that engulfed him. Wrath couldn't see anymore, his body felt heavy as he tried to swim to the moon but he could feel the copies grab him and start pulling him so that they could continue to cut into him.

"_**YOU'RE ALMOST THERE!**_"

The voice sounded so close, like he was _right _there but Wrath couldn't tell. His eyes had been gouged out and it was a miracle his limbs had been cut off. What good that did however as he finally felt his body give out and he could slowly feel himself being dragged back into the Hell the many copies of Rahim had waiting for him. He reached a hand out and felt one of his claws scrape the barrier before being pulled away.

_Someone, anyone, please help me…_

_Alright, because you asked nicely._

A gentle hand grabbed his wrist and someone lightly tugged on it that somehow overpowered the innumerable amount of Rahims dragging him down. He felt his hand press up against the barrier and his vision returned as he saw Edward on the other side with his hand pressed against his. Cracks began to form in the barrier and when it broke, the young man reached down to grasp the demon's wrist and pulled with all of his strength.

The Rahims all pulled on Wrath trying to drag him back down but Edward was winning their tug of war little by little before he let out a roar and pulled the demon completely through the hole. Wrath instantly felt all the pain that assaulted his body disappear as he laid face down against the reflective surface. While his body still ached from his wounds, he could feel them beginning to heal as he forced himself over on his back to look up at Edward who had his arms crossed as he looked down at the demon.

Wrath didn't know what to say, what he just experienced was Hell in his opinion and that white void was so peaceful that he dared to call it Heaven. He would've stayed in that white void if the young man had kept his mouth shut but the demon didn't know if that was a bad thing or not.

"Why are you laying down, we're not done yet."

The demon looked confused as the young man simply pointed in front of him which made the predator sit up and look in the direction. Following the finger, the Sin could see his courtyard, the weapons he had collected were all there and in the center of them was Rahim's katana, still being held by a featureless figure.

"He's the one who kicked you out of your own courtyard, are you going to take that from him? If so then you can swim back to that white void that would grant you eternal peace. If not, if you are willing to fight once again for what you want most, then your first step is defeating him and returning."

Wrath looked up at the young man and watched him begin to walk away in the opposite direction as he began to fade away. When the demon realized that he wasn't going to help, the predator reached for him and called for him.

"Aren't you going to help?"

Edward said one thing before disappearing.

"This is your soul, you're the King here. You're the one with the power here, no one else."

Wrath stood to his full height as he looked at where the young man was just moments ago before turning back to the gate. He closed his eyes and took a breath. He felt the ground with his talons, the composition of his soul that were still his own. He felt each weapon in that courtyard, all of their rage and hatred was his to see.

Amidst all of that rage was an intruder, one who was messing with one of his relics. He felt his own rage respond to him as he took a step into his courtyard and got the attention of the intruder who was just a mass of black dust. The predator looked at the mass while taking long steps toward it before he towered over it and bent over at the waist to get closer to it.

"You aren't Rahim."

The figure said nothing as Wrath continued.

"Rahim's soul is still firmly locked into that weapon you're holding. All you are is an echo of his soul, the bitterness and anger that he has held for me for his entire life. And if all you are is an echo…"

The figure quickly tugged on Rahim's katana and took a swipe at the predator's neck but found his hand caught by a clawed one.

"...then you're nothing but power for me now that you're here."

Wrath finally opened his mouth and revealed his large jaw that looked absolutely ravenous before he began to devour the intruder feeling the black dust that constituted them giving him power. When he finished his meal, he placed Rahim's katana back into the ground then he looked up into the single star in the sky.

_Payback time._

* * *

As Elsa and Hector prepared for Rahim to charge, something happened. The stone tied to the katana began to brightly shine which surprised the avenger. "**What's going on?!"**

The blackdust that constituted his body started to leave his body and flow into the stone before they rearranged themselves and created a clawed hand that grabbed his arm. More and more blackdust flowed from Rahim into the hand that made an arm, next a shoulder, a chest, legs, another arm, then finally a head that resembled the avenger's worst nightmares.

"**That's impossible, I killed you…**"

The blonde woman recognized what had formed and felt tears flowing down her cheeks as she smiled wider than she had in a long time.

Wrath in all his demonic glory, leaned down so that he could look at that black dust that firmly clung to the echo of Rahim's soul at eye level before he spoke.

"You were close, but you made one critical error."

The demon caught the katana by the blade as it neared his throat without taking his eyes off the intruder.

"You decided to enter _my _soul, had you remained out here, I would've never figured out that all you are is an echo. And unfortunately for you, when I kill a human, I devour the echoes of their rage from their soul. Since that's all that you are...you're little more than food for me aren't you?"

The soul echo could now feel the murderous hunger that radiated from the demon in front of it. Its previous anger and satisfaction that came from killing Wrath evaporated as it paved the way for a new emotion.

_Fear. _

* * *

**Hey guys hope ya'll enjoyed the brief death of Wrath. I thought about keeping him dead for a while but i still don't know how busy my schedule will be in a few days so I wanted to get this out of the way. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. I actually like it a little bit, the little Heaven and Hell bit was fun to write but I hope it wasn't too confusing. Please remember to stay tuned for the next chapter where Wrath finally gets to fight in the real world like a Sin. please drop a review or a pm if ya'll want to contact me.**


	50. Chapter 50

**Shout outs to**:**TheVoidHunter250** **ZenTroxX34** **KobsterHope07** **LegendarySteel1** **Gabriel443** **FrontierBrony** **for the favorites/follows**

**In response to reviews:**

**FrontierBrony****-Thank you for saying so, I really appreciate it. **

**IAmWhoIAm317****-Chapter 48 I really wanted to flesh out the plain bloodlust that Rahim had for Wrath so I wanted to make it painful. I'm glad you approved and for 49 that space that Wrath was in was a little shaky to me. I was worried, I might've confused some readers with the initial narrative that it was actually Wrath in there and not Edward.**

**To the guest who reviewed June 20th****\- I truly appreciate the time you took to write your review. While I do agree and hate overly powerful protagonist, I also didn't want to create a really weak one who lost every single time. I'm still trying to find a balance for Edward since there have been times I've made him very strong to others where he has been less than effective. As for the beginning chapters, I am sorry to hear that they were confusing and might revisit them after I finish the story. Unfortunately with the way I write, small details in the early chapters become major ones later down the line so I'm hesitant to completely rewrite them and take out something that wal already there. You are correct in saying I do not have a beta reader, would like to get one but not much luck in that department. I also do appreciate you telling me to not let the numbers get to me because in all honesty they actually do. I am really grateful to the readers here who actually really like this story and have a higher opinion of it than I do at times since it started out as a project to get over some issues. I'm glad to see it has grown to the point that I'm at 30,000 views. Does it hurt that other Frozen fanfics have like hundreds or thousands of reviews/favorites/follows and yet the fanfic themselves cap out at like 80k words? Yes it does sting a bit but its nice to see the same familiar names in a review that stick with me and make it all worth it. Even if this fanfic doesn't get as much publicity as I would like it to have, I can pretty much guarantee that I will be finishing it in hopefully a way that the readers, my inspiration, will truly enjoy. **

**Also yes I have read '****For the First time in Never' and really suggest others read it. Its an amazing fic that I still read over again from time to time. I also enjoy 'The Frozen and Pierced Heart' those two fanfics are downright phenomenal and I have no problem being second to them because they to me are quite amazing.**

* * *

Wrath stared down the intruder with murderous hunger as he kept his grip on both their hand and blade. He was aware of Elsa and Hector right behind him and was about to tell them to move back when his opponent made a move. The blade slit his palm as it was pulled out of his grip before it flicked over to his other arm and aimed to cut his forearm. Pulling the captured hand that was already in his grip, the demon watched the blade cut through the jacket arm freeing his opponent from his grip.

Rahim quickly backed away as Wrath held up the severed arm in his grip before opening his large jaw and sucked in the black dust that constituted it. Leaving just a cut sleeve which he threw away before getting into his stance. He bent his knees while putting one foot behind the other and leaned forward with one claw on the ground. It looked like he was about to sprint but his opponent knew better.

The demon pushed off the ground and closed the distance between the two almost instantaneously and had a claw primed for attack. Rahim ducked under the swipe that was aimed at his head as the blur zoomed past him. Quickly turning to face the demon that dug its claws and talons in the ground to stop himself, he was able to predict the next dash that came after. This time, when Wrath zoomed, he managed to leave a cut on the armor's chest and more black dust started to leak out.

Rahim struggled to stay on his feet as he dodged the attacks that blurred past him. His arm was not reforming so he assumed that if the demon had 'killed' him now, he would stay dead so he had to be more careful. As he sidestepped and rolled away from the attacks, he timed a few strikes with when he thought Wrath would pass him and felt his blade make contact with the claws. The force knocked away his arm but slowed down the attack so he had more time to dodge.

The Sin on the other hand had no intention of stopping his attacks as he ramped up their number and ferocity. Each one got his claws closer and closer to his opponent's body, it wouldn't be long until he'd get a grip on them and that would be the end of it. He covered the distance between them and went for Rahim's legs but was slightly dismayed when the intruder jumped over the sweep.

The avenger must've thought he had an opening because while he was in the air he aimed a swing at Wrath's head, hoping to decapitate him once again. Unfortunately his blade swung harmlessly under the crouched form of his opponent who saw the move coming. The Sin tried to grab a leg as Rahim was still coming down but the avenger kicked off his arm and landed a few meters away.

A beat passed between the two of them as Wrath stood to his full height and tilted his head. "I forgot how much of a slippery bastard he was. Always dancing _just _out of reach of everyone's attack, I can now see how infuriating that is."

The soul echo got into his stance with his one arm holding his katana in front of him. "**No one has ever told me that before.**"

"No one has ever told _Rahim _that before since he generally killed them. You. Aren't. Him."

"**Why is it so hard for you to believe I am him, you came back from the dead, why can't I?**"

"Because if you were him, then we wouldn't be talking right now, you would be rushing me relentlessly instead of running from my attacks."

"**I've had time to reflect on my mistakes.**"

Faster than an average person could react, the katana cut through the air as it had been thrown by the intruder. Wrath having long enough arms, was able to catch it by the hilt before it could lodge itself in his throat. He was about to say something when he felt a sudden burst of force at the end of the hilt that pushed the blade into his throat. His eyes widened as he felt his vocal cords were cut and he took a step back as his opponent rushed forward and grasped the hilt while balancing themselves on his shoulders.

"**And one thing I've noticed is that your reflexes are still human!**"

Wrath could already see what the soul echo's plan was and grasped the hilt with one hand while reaching for their head with his other hand. His left hand was keeping the katana from removing his head from his shoulders while his right hand was blindly grabbing for his opponent's head which kept moving to avoid being caught.

After another failed attempt at grabbing the head, Wrath decided to change targets and grab one of the legs on his shoulders. With a silent roar, he pulled the blade out of his throat and lifted his opponent in the air before slamming him down into the ground causing it to crack from the force. The soul echo kept a tight grasp on the hilt of his weapon and tried to use it to cut off one the demon's arms to escape but it was too late.

Wrath had him now, and he had _no _intention of letting him go.

The demon lifted the avenger above his head and began to pull. The soul echo tried to free himself but the Sin's grip was absolute. The frock coat began to tear as Wrath's arms slowly and slowly got further apart, had he been a regular person, they would've already been torn apart but the avenger was trying to fight it as much as possible. It still didn't matter as the armor tore in half and the black dust that constituted his body began to stretch.

Elsa and Hector watched as the intruder continued to stretch until finally the large predator's arms jerked apart and had two separate parts in his hands. In his left hand was the avenger's remaining arm that still held on tightly to the hilt of the katana while in his right hand was the rest. Wrath tossed away the arm then grabbed the intruder by the neck and dragged him toward the two people that were watching. When they were close, the predator forced the intruder to his knees while keeping a grip on the back of his neck and continued applying pressure so they couldn't move.

The blonde said nothing and looked confused at the display but Hector seemed to understand as he strode forward and crouched down so that he was eye level with the intruder. "I think he wants you to apologize."

The soul echo struggled to look up and chuckled. "**Apologize? For what?"**

The noble took on a thoughtful expression before he started to count off reasons on his fingers. "Well you attacked the castle, killed a number of our guards, threatened the Queen, attacked a foreign Prince, the list just goes on. I guess he feels that you should be given the opportunity to apologize for it."

"**If he thinks I'm going to apologize to my mother's killer then-**"

"You're not apologizing to him. You're apologizing to _her._"

Hector gestured to Elsa who actually looked touched by the predator's gesture. The avenger looked at her and laughed. "**If any of you believe an apology is coming out of my mouth then you're all fools. I'll make you a promise instead. One day, I **_**will **_**get out and when I do, I'll kill every single last person in Arendelle, and you Elsa will be the last person I kill so you will feel the weight of your failure to protect your people. Your own council thinks you're a danger and seek to control you, how sweet it will be when they find out that you are weak and can't protect anyone.**"

The blonde looked at the avenger with a neutral expression before taking a regal composure. "It is truly sad that all you feel is the desire for revenge and that you never attempted to move on with your life. It is regretful but does not justify your lust for bloodshed, so if that day comes, we will be ready and you will fail just as you have today."

"**We'll see about that.**"

Wrath apparently had enough and opened his jaw and with one bite took the avenger's head then sucked up the rest of the black dust until only the armor remained. Hector bent down to retrieve the sheathe and armor then walked over to the nearby arm and returned the weapon to its sheathe. He then rose to his feet and sighed before heading back into the castle.

"I will return to infirmary and inform the Captain what has transpired here as well as deliver this to Prince Ahimoth. Hopefully this and the remains of the armor will be enough to convince his people back home that the traitor has been dealt with."

Elsa nodded and took a step toward the guard and raised a hand to stop him. "Hector…" Judging by her facial expression, he knew what she wanted to speak about but he continued on his way into the castle.

"That's a conversation for another day, for now, you should figure out what to do with tall, red, and ugly over there. I may be able to accept Edward was a nine foot tall reptile that can't move his mouth and talk like a regular person, but the other guards may have an issue with that. I'll tell them that everything is ok and the priority is the wounded" Wrath only blinked at the insult as Hector walked through the castle doors and left the two of them alone.

The blonde let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in then she turned back to the large predator that continued to look down at her. "You really had me worried you know." Wrath just blinked at her and remained silent while shifting his weight from one foot to another and wringing his claws awkwardly. She waited for him to say something, anything but when nothing came, she raised an eyebrow to convey her question.

The demon simply raised his chin and pointed to the hole that was in his throat. The message was clear as Elsa made an 'O' shape with her mouth when she realized that he _couldn't _speak for the moment. She had remembered Edward explaining that it was one or the other with his strength or regenerative abilities but when he was actually Wrath then there was no healing at all. She was happy he was alive of course but somewhat confused as she understood that there was no healing but reasoned that he should have died with the gaping hole in his throat.

Tallying that conversation for later, she let the matter drop as she took a step forward and wrapped her arms around his midsection. The predator looked down at the woman as she held him for a few moments before he could feel something wet running down his waist. Gently grabbing her by the shoulders, he moved out of her embrace to see that there were tears running down her cheeks.

Seeing this, prompted him to kneel down so that he was eye level with her and he raised a hand and with the utmost precision and care wiped away her tears with one of his claws. Elsa took his hand in two of hers as she nuzzled the large hand with her cheek. Even now, he still treated her like a flower when he was very capable of destroying anything in his grasp. "I-i kept telling myself that you would be fine…"

Wrath could see her shoulders begin to shake again as even more tears started to leak from her eyes as she tightened her grip on his hand. He knew that even though things turned out for the best, so many things happened and she needed a moment to vent. So all he did was carefully tightened his grip on her hands to give her a firm supporting feeling to hold on to.

"T-that you'd come here and take care of everything and be fine...then I saw you in trouble and all I could think about was rushing to your side to help...then when you died…" The blonde felt an arm wrap around her shoulders and bring her into a hug that had her cheek against his strong neck. She could feel the calm breaths that went down her back somewhat similar to a horse. It was easy to tell that he seemed awkward in trying to comfort her with his larger form but she appreciated it and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I'm really glad you're ok…"

Wrath stayed still for a moment and enjoyed the embrace while breathing in her winter peppermint scent before closing his eyes. The blonde felt a slight weight come down on her as the predator's body relaxed into hers and she could see black dust swirl around his form. They started from the tips of his limbs and worked inward to his body. The claws and talons were all replaced with fingers and toes as human limbs formed. It continued until the body of a young man was holding her to his chest with a hand on her cheek and his nose in her hair.

The weight began to increase as the body before her began to give out and she managed to catch him before he fell to the ground. The first thing she noticed with a blush was that he was completely naked, understandable given Wrath wasn't wearing clothes. The blonde eased him to the ground before waving a hand and giving him a simple pair of ice pants to cover him. She did a quick scan of his body for any wounds and was happy to see there weren't any and that he looked exactly the same the last time she'd seen him bare.

Even the scars that he obtained were still on his body, the newer ones he got while he was in Arendelle were there as well. Even though he could heal, it seemed that some injuries were too grievous. She checked his neck for a scar and was pleasantly surprised to not see one and laid his head in her lap while gently running her fingers through his hair.

It was a relief he was ok but her mind still wouldn't relax. She had just learned that she killed four people and her own council had covered up their deaths. What made it even more a headache was her personal guard was friends with all of them and was likely blamed for their deaths. No wonder he decided to spy on her for the council, she had already hurt him and gave him a reason.

She would fix this.

The blonde promised herself to be accountable for her actions and she meant them. She looked out to the horizon and could see the smallest rays of sunlight beginning to shine signalling a new day. Elsa had been up all night and had her heart pumping for the most of it, yet she wasn't tired. She was ready to hit the new day running and deal with her council. The young man in her lap would've likely asked that she rest but that wouldn't do right now, she had some work to do and nothing was going to stop her.

* * *

Edward found himself sitting in Wrath's courtyard again as the predator was once again going over the row and rows of weapons. As usual the demon was quiet and meticulously checking over each weapon, a chore that the young man found to be pointless but with recent events in mind, he'd probably do the same himself.

"So...how'd it feel? Dying, I mean?"

The predator stopped and turned around with his ever present fanged smile and took a few steps until the two of them were next to one another and sat down. Edward stifled a chuckle when he looked how the demon sat on steps. His knees were pulled to his chest and his arms were on top of them, making him look quite large and awkward.

"_Why are you asking me? You've died before as well."_

The young man knew what the Sin meant but this was something entirely different. Ever since he fell asleep at the Valley of the Hidden Rock and that soul echo of Rahim attacked, his world had turned upside down. He was aware of everything that happened, yet he was also unconscious for it. He remembered feeling the fear of being killed by Rahim before Sven saved him then chasing the echo down and running into Elsa before going after the avenger.

It wasn't like when Wrath had taken over and he was just a backseat driver, no, this time he had input in what their body did and could think yet somehow he felt that he wasn't all there. The only time things returned to normal was when Wrath was killed and Edward had to keep him from going into that white void. He remembered waking up in Wrath's soul on the reflective surface outside the courtyard and feeling everything shaking like an earthquake.

He didn't know how he knew but something made him look at the usual reflective surface and this time he could see through it. He could see the countless copies of himself all writhing in pain and was somehow able to discern Wrath from them who looked indistinguishable from the others. He could see the predator just laying in the void and felt a sense of foreboding that was too powerful to ignore.

So he called for the demon and hoped that he would get up, unfortunately the first few times yielded no success. It was the third time when Wrath's soul doubled its shaking did he really put his heart into calling. When Wrath woke up and fell into the space in between the reflective surfaces, Edward could see the demon writhe in pain along with the other copies. His calls then fell on deaf ears as Wrath tried to return to the peaceful void but was stopped by surprisingly, Mr. Jorgen.

He didn't know if it was a hallucination like Elsa appearing to be in pain but he was glad for it since it helped bring Wrath over here. Edward watched the predator endure so much pain to make it back to this side and as soon as he broke through the barrier and crossed over, that same feeling as before came back. It was like he _knew _so much more and that he wasn't all there but still present. He told Wrath that he was the King and pointed him in the right direction then…

_Poof…_

He was gone.

He didn't know where he went, it felt like he was still with Wrath but he didn't feel like himself. He was aware of the brief battle between Wrath and the soul echo as well as the predator's interactions in the real world, yet they felt like they were both happening to him and weren't happening to him. In those brief moments he felt just detached yet tethered to Wrath that it made his head spin trying to describe it so he thought he would probe it out of the predator for his opinion.

"You're right, I have, but I've never seen that space before."

The air around Wrath changed as he curled in on himself and made himself smaller. Such a response was odd coming from the predator but Edward couldn't really blame him. That space that the demon had gone through was total Hell. He didn't feel it but he could just sense all the pain that Wrath had felt being in there. It was a wonder how the predator didn't go insane, anyone else would've.

Edward didn't expect an answer, if Wrath didn't want to talk about it then that was alright. Yet he really wanted to know what all of it meant; The white void, all those copies, Mr. Jorgen, them breaking through the barrier, all of it.

"_...I haven't either...and I never want to ever again…_"

Wrath's voice was timid and afraid, two adjectives that did not usually describe the large predator but it did today. Edward didn't know what to do but he hesitantly placed his hand on the muscled shoulder next to him. While the two of them weren't enemies anymore, they weren't exactly friends; yet today they both faced off against a rather symbolic enemy.

Plus they were able to actually become Wrath the Furious in all his demonic glory.

Never before since becoming one with Wrath was Edward able to actually become the predator. All he could do was imitate a portion of the demon's power but tonight they were a lot closer to the real thing. As fast and strong as Wrath was, he wasn't at full strength and his instincts were a little dull. In the past, he'd moved much faster and his instincts kept him from being touched.

While getting their vocal cords cut wasn't a huge deal, it did pose a risk to losing his head which would've completely undone the transformation.

_Perhaps we should practice…_

While that thought did occur to him, the young man tallied it for another day. Right now, it looked like Wrath was done speaking and since he didn't shake off the hand on his shoulder, Edward kept it there while patting it a few times awkwardly.

* * *

Greed stepped out of his shroud of black dust to find Sloth once again reading her book. He just spent the night watching that Rahim phantom wreak havoc on the castle and fight Wrath. When it succeeded in killing Wrath, the Avaricious Sin almost teleported down there to hastily retrieve the stone when a small bird like phantom from Sloth stopped him.

It gave him just enough pause to watch Wrath recreate himself using the black dust from the phantom. Greed's eyes widened when he saw that as it should've been impossible in the first place. The thing about black dust was each Sin could only control their respective aspects of the soul echo, which meant if Sloth made that phantom, only she could devour it.

_Yet Wrath was able to. _

Perhaps it was because the soul echo in question came from Wrath in the first place. Watching it happen made Greed come to the conclusion that the only thing that the phantom accomplished was giving Wrath more black dust. That in itself was a terrible idea since it could make him more of an issue but in the end, he was still alive and Sloth said that the Avaricious Sin would get his chance.

The two men that he sent to slow down Rahim made it perfectly clear that they were no match for a Sin. they would likely be effective against regular guards but how much so would be proven in the field of battle. For now, he was satisfied that they were obedient and could at least slow down a Sin for a period of time.

"Your phantom has been defeated and Wrath is now resting fitfully in the castle. I assume things are going according to your plan?"

Sloth didn't even waste the effort to look up from her book when she spoke. "You could say that, I expected Wrath to win much quicker than he did but he still did what I planned for him to do."

"Which is what exactly?"

Sloth chose then to put down her book and fix the man in front of her with a bored stare. "Not your concern, I've held up my end of the deal and gave you an opening for your revenge when the time has come. You should return to that puppet and make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

Greed gave her an intense stare to see if she would give anything up but when she didn't he decided to call it a day. Before he left however, he wanted to say one last thing.

"I may not know what you're planning Sloth but remember, my job is to collect all of our cores in the event we die. So if you decide to make too many moves that disrupt Father's plan or get in my way again, I'll be coming for that stone of yours."

Sloth didn't look worried as she looked back down at her book and flipped the page. "It's adorable that you think that I'll disrupt Father's plan when you don't even know the true scope of it."

Greed said nothing as he faded away and left Sloth alone.

_Or the true scope of Talib's plan…_

* * *

Garret had been confined to a guest room during the visit of the foreign parties and was placed under guard until they all left. He was aware of the attack on the castle and who participated in the battle. His guards remained at their posts but with the very few tricks up his sleeves, he was in the room that the Queen had ordered Wrath to be put into after he collapsed.

As he stood over the monster that looked just like his son, the thought of killing it crossed his mind but he stayed his hand. He was curious after all, and what he learned here could open many doors for him later. Fortunately for him, Wrath had been totally exhausted after being attacked and was completely unconscious which gave him the opportunity to do what he was about to do.

Raising his hand, he closed his eyes and focused for a moment until his hand turned into black dust and very carefully pushed his hand into the prone body in front of him. He could feel his black dust be absorbed into Wrath's soul and it wasn't long until he felt a piece of his consciousness form in a courtyard of some kind.

Taking a look around at the empty courtyard filled with weapons, the alchemist hurried to the one in particular he was looking for. Wrath would not sense the intrusion if Sobel didn't make any fast or strong moves. So when he reached Rahim's katana, instead of grabbing it, he raised a hand and focused on it as he closed his eyes.

While the castle was being attacked, he sensed a very familiar soul that made his heart leap into his throat.

He could feel a small trace of his son's soul moving about the castle.

The alchemist wanted to right then bust out of his room to see if it was his son but held himself back. He didn't know if it was really his son or Wrath so he decided to wait until the Sin was completely unconscious.

It made what he was about to do easier.

With a grunt of exertion, his entire body turned into black dust before flowing into the weapon and once again he felt his body falling into a new space. Unlike last time, he could feel an overwhelming deluge of emotions rushing over him. Anger and regret being the two most prominent emotions. When the alchemist finally felt himself stop falling, he opened his eyes to find himself in a dense dark forest of some kind.

The densely populated forest had trees appearing every five meters and as he tried to look past them only darkness greeted him. Garret remained silent as he worried that Wrath would awaken if he made any disturbing moves. Slowly taking a step forward, he could hear the sound of his boot crunching leaves rather loudly as the crunch bounced off each tree and echoed. Coming to a complete stop, Sobel remained as still as possible as he tried to quiet his breathing and opened himself to any signs that Wrath was disturbed.

It seemed like an eternity passed until he felt confident that the Sin wasn't awakening. Looking down at the forest floor that was littered with leaves, he tiptoed in between them trying to avoid making anymore noise. Slowly but surely he made his way through the forest searching for any sign of his son but was only greeted with darkness wherever he went.

The earlier emotions that weighed on him were now all around him and made it impossible to get his bearings. If they belonged to his son then he was obligated to keep searching until he found his wayward son. So he continued forward slowly, always on the lookout for some kind of sign besides the ever present darkness that blanketed the forest.

A loud crunch of leaves had him halt as he looked down at his feet and could see that his boot wasn't touching the ground yet. The sound echoed off the tree next to him before continuing away from him which meant that he wasn't the one who made the sound. Garret thought he heard it coming from the northwest and was about to turn that way when he heard something behind him.

Powerful breathing as well as distant footsteps approached his position rapidly.

Somehow he could feel it coming closer, the simple murderous aura that made his knees shake was heading right toward him. He wanted to move out the way and hide before it got to his position but his legs wouldn't move. He was frozen in place as the aura closed the distance and finally showed itself.

If he wasn't facing in the direction of the sound, he wouldn't have seen it but since he was, he could see it for a moment.

Wrath was taller than he remembered and he moved so much faster than he remembered as well. The demon had blood trailing from his claws as well as his jaws as he dashed forward. His eyes were pupiless yet seemed to be focused on something, likely its prey. The Sin's footsteps were now earth shaking as he rushed past the alchemist without a glance toward the northwest where the sound earlier came from.

Sobel felt his heart leap into his throat when he saw the demon and for a moment thought he was discovered. Fortunately, that wasn't the case and he took a moment to calm himself as he looked in the direction the demon went. The sound earlier that came from ahead resembled someone stepping on some leaves, that meant that someone was ahead of him. It couldn't have been Wrath who game from a different direction and given where the alchemist was, he started to run in that direction.

Wrath was focused solely on the sound ahead of him and ignored Garret, which pointed to his prey was more important. Then there was the fact that this forest had a faint trace of Rahim's soul everywhere, so somewhere, his son was roaming around. The alchemist hurried in the direction that the demon went, he failed Rahim once before and wanted to make it right and be there now.

As he ran, the darkness of the forest began to lift as moonlight broke through the canopy of leaves above him. A strong burst of it illuminated a clearing in front of him which made him throw himself into it hopefully to see his son. Garret cleared the trees with a huff and looked up in time to see his heart shatter once again.

He had found his son, but once again he was too late.

Wrath had Rahim impaled on his claws, the Mystic Guard uniform was in tatters and the katana was sticking out of the ground.

With a snarl, the demon threw the body harshly to the ground and opened his jaws and roared toward the moon. The entire forest shook as the Sin continued to roar before rushing off again into the dark forest leaving his victim's body on the ground.

With slow heartbreaking steps, Garret walked until his legs gave out at the sight of his bleeding son. He crawled until he was next to his boy and reached out to the lifeless face that stared above. It was like Dawn all over again, he was too late and could only see the face of someone he cares about after they had been killed. For a moment, he forgot that he was in a soul rather than a real world, he let the tears that gathered in his eyes leak out as he brought his son's body closer to him.

"Rahim...I'm so so sorry. There were so many things that I wish were different. I wanted to be there for you, to be a family with you and your mother. The four of us would've been so happy, I know it but because of me...your life was taken from you. I was supposed to protect you as any father should but I failed…"

The alchemist fantasized on coming home to his two little boys and his wife and spending time with them, far away from any violence. He would bring home more books to homeschool his two boys while he had them help their mother with the garden and crops. Maybe they could've gone into the market and picked up some delectable treats for the children. Then return home and have a family dinner.

They could've been happy for years as he watched his boys grow up and be respectable young men who would have children of their own and he would be a grandfather. He wanted to watch them grow, to live a life that he himself never had a chance to but because of him they never got the chance.

He had to take Shahbaz with him while sending away Dawn who was pregnant with Rahim. He had only met his youngest son once. Rahim was so young that he probably didn't even remember anything except the fact that Garret was his father.

It's what made it so easy for Talib to replace him as their father.

That _damn _bastard corrupted his children and killed his wife, Garret wished for his death more than anything else but knew better than to confront the man. It was smarter to hide and hopefully stay out of his way. When he first arrived in Arendelle and established himself, he told himself to not get too attached and would've left at the first sign of trouble. However once again he found himself with a family and it made him afraid.

He didn't want to lose another family.

So he told Elsa everything, hopefully she would be able to stop Talib and Father, if not, she would give him time to move his family. His wife knew and was always ready to leave at a moment's notice with their daughter. He wouldn't let _anyone _harm them, he wasn't strong enough to lose them like he lost his first family.

"Please forgive me, I wish you could've met your little sister. She's so bright and happy and would be ecstatic to have a big brother…"

"I don't have a sister."

Garret eyes widened as he whirled around to see Rahim standing right behind him with a blank expression on his face. He was wearing a rather expensive looking grey double buttoned coat that was open which revealed a black vest with a white dress shirt under it with a tie around his collar. His black slacks and shoes didn't have a speck of dirt on them. In fact, his whole ensemble was immaculate, there wasn't a trace of a wrinkle anywhere on his body.

The alchemist looked back to the body in his arms and watched it disintegrate into black dust before blowing away leaving him holding nothing.

Sobel's face was still stuck in shock as he wearily got to his feet and turned to his son who still had a blank expression on his face. The alchemist opened his mouth and closed it over and over trying to form words but they were stuck in his throat as Rahim turned to look at the treeline on his right and spoke in a monotone voice.

"Three. Two. One."

Another copy of Rahim in his Mystic Guard uniform burst through the trees and got into stance as he waited for his opponent to reveal himself. Garret eyes zipped between the two Rahims and was about to speak when Wrath burst through the treeline and beared down on his opponent. His son fought valiantly, always advancing and never retreating or letting himself be weighed down by fear but it was all for naught as he was once again impaled by the demon's claws.

With a last gasp of life, the Rahim copy let go of his weapon and was thrown against the ground harshly by his opponent who roared at the moon then vanished back into the forest. Garret was tempted to go to the corpse of his son but he turned back to the other one who gazed dispassionately at the dead body that mirrored his. No emotion crossed his face nor any sign that the sight bothered him in the slightest, it was as if what he saw didn't matter to him.

Like he had seen it over and over before finally becoming cold with indifference toward his death.

Rahim then turned his sights to Garret who still remained and finally an emotion crossed the young man's face. The raised eyebrow and cocked head showed confusion as he took a step forward and raised a hand toward the alchemist. Sobel dared not to move as the hand got closer until it was resting against his chest and he heard the young man whisper in stunned surprise.

"I can touch you…"

Rahim dropped his hand before walking over to his corpse and without a shred of empathy, kicked at it and watched his foot pass right through it like mist. The corpse destabilized at the intrusion and black dust erupted from it before it reformed into the corpse as the foot left it. Garret understood when he saw it as he looked around.

This entire space was just black dust.

The alchemist crouched down and picked up a leaf before crushing it in his hand and noticed black dust burst in a small cloud before reforming the same leaf back on the ground. It made sense, he was in the soul of a Sin so black dust would roam freely here. He just didn't expect that it would recreate a scene such as this.

He had known his son was killed by Wrath but from what he had read, the two of them had mutual strikes against one another that left them both dying. Here it showed that Rahim was the only loser and Wrath was clearly the victor who searched for more prey.

_Was the report wrong, and this was what really happened?_

"Since you are the only thing here that doesn't erupt into black dust, I can assume you're real."

Garret was about to answer when a hand tightly grabbed his neck and hoisted him in the air. His air supply was instantly cut off and he could feel the bones in his neck begin to groan as he struggled to move his eyes to the person choking him. Rahim had no emotion on his face as he held his father suspended in the air. One might think after everything he had been through, anger would be his primary emotion but in that moment, he still had the face of cold indifference. Nevertheless the tightness of his grip suggested that he didn't want to kill the alchemist, only make him suffer in his grasp.

"It's been too long father, last time I saw you, I was waking up on one of your tables you use for your projects."

Sobel opened his mouth and tried to form words but the grip on his neck tightened making it impossible to speak which gave the young man a chance to continue uninterrupted.

"It's odd, I can remember every aspect of my life up until the moment of my death. This scene here that plays over and over isn't what happened. I fought Wrath and gave my life to make sure that he didn't have too much longer to live, yet here it shows me that I was utterly defeated…" Rahim walked over to his corpse with his father still in hand and thrusted him to the ground and made him get a closer look at the dead body.

"Do you have _any _idea how infuriating it is to see yourself be killed _over _and _over _by the thing you hate most? The first few times made me so angry that I tried to kill Wrath only to realize that I couldn't touch him."

He then gestured to their surroundings.

"I can't touch _anything _here."

The young man simply pointed to the treeline and made the alchemist face that direction.

"I can only sit here and watch over and over that I lost."

The moment he finished that sentence, another copy of himself burst through the treeline and stood ready to face his opponent. Once again Wrath came out of the darkness and the two fought. Exchanging savage blows and dancing around one another until the demon scored his winning blow and impaled the copy. Garret was clawing at the hand around his throat so he could loosen its grip that would allow him to speak but found himself being hurled at the scene in front of him.

His body disrupted the image of Wrath holding the impaled warrior before the black dust reconstituted the image and continued the scene. The demon harshly threw away his victim before roaring again and taking off into the forest. The alchemist coughed as he allowed air to rush back into his lungs, all the while aware of the impending sounds of footsteps heading in his direction.

Rahim wordlessly walked in front of him while brushing away some imaginary dust that was on his coat. When he was satisfied that he looked presentable, he crouched down so he could be eye level with his father and leaned in to give him a cold stare that held back a supernova of rage.

"You've already made my life hell, did you really have to make the afterlife the same as well?"

"Please, my son I didn't-"

A savage kick to his jaw knocked Garret to the ground as Rahim continued to fiddle with his coat to make sure he was still immaculate. "I am not your son. You didn't raise me, you turned me into a weapon. A father looks out for his children and helps guide them, you've done neither so you don't get to call me that. The only reason I haven't killed you is because you are the only thing here that is real. Given the fact that not even you could travel into the true afterlife and mess with me, I can assume that I'm not fully dead…"

The young man walked over then bent at the waist while putting his arms behind him so he could tower over the crumpled figure of his father in a way that mirrored Talib. "Which means, it might be possible for me to escape this space."

Garret cradled his jaw as he looked up at the cold eyes that didn't belong to his son. He began to think that coming here was a mistake but the fact remained that this _is _his son who had been wronged by the alchemist's failures. The least his father could do was try to help him after everything that has happened.

"There might be a way but it's a long shot. First, I have to explain that I'm not the man who you thought was your father for the majority of your life."

"Explain. Quickly."

Garret told him everything, the night his mother died, Talib taking him, the alchemist's flight to the Southern Isle's than Arendelle, and his new life to this day. All the while, Rahim remained silent as he took in the details and seemed to turn them over in his head as he remained silent after the older man finished speaking. Garret wouldn't be too surprised if the warrior didn't believe him, the whole story sounded like a lie to clear him of all the hate that his son most certainly had for him as a child. If Shahbaz was here then he could probably corroborate the alchemist's story with the sudden change that his father went through as well as the circumstances surrounding his own situation when he was growing up with Sobel.

"Your story is quite outlandish but I was killed by a mass of anger taking the form of a monster and there are people who can control the elements as well as create steel creatures so I'm willing to give you the benefit of doubt. But none of it explains how I can leave this space."

"It does. When Talib put Wrath's soul in your body, I thought that you were dead however it is possible that you survived long enough for the process to take place which resulted in your soul becoming dormant. This space we're in his inside Wrath's soul, part of his collection of weapons that belonged to all of his victims over the years. Recently Arendelle was attacked by an echo of your soul that somehow managed to get loose. It went after Wrath and nearly succeeded in killing him, it's what led me to feel a trace of your soul. I thought maybe it would be possible to restore your soul while removing Wrath's."

Rahim narrowed his eyes as he absorbed the information. An echo of his soul got out and went after Wrath? He wasn't too surprised with the intent but more focused on the how. How did a sliver of his soul get out while he was trapped in this hell? From the way the alchemist talked, he wasn't the one who did it which would mean that someone else was aware that he was in here. The young man had no perception of time in this space but with Sobel's quick rundown of his life, Wrath had been in his body for a significant amount of time and this attack happened just recently.

_Why make so much fuss now?_

Rahim had a feeling that someone else was pulling the strings behind these events and for some reason wanted him to return. He didn't like being treated like a pawn, that's what led to his current predicament but he did want out of here. Which meant that he had to play along with whoever was in charge and act carefully.

"Alright, so since you know I'm here, I'm assuming you can remove Wrath's soul and release mine right now?"

Garret grimaced as he spoke his next words. "Unfortunately, no I cannot. Such a procedure would require to either completely immobilize Wrath for an extended period or find him in a state where he could not fight off my power to tamper with his soul. He quite easily overpowered the sliver of your soul and I fear if I try to forcibly restore yours while he is aware, he will turn his sights on you."

"Is he aware that you are here right now?"

"No, the attack was last night and he is resting right now. If he remained in this state for two days I could do it but I can feel his consciousness, if I make an aggressive move he will know that I'm here."

"Thus destroying my chances to be released."

Rahim stalked away and turned his back on the alchemist before lowering his head. The older man could hear the deep breaths that the young one was taking and instantly started to feel bad. He wanted to go over and assure his son that he would get him out but there was very little trust between them at the moment. It could've been seen as a hollow gesture but Haruna had told him time and time again that it was the thought that counted.

Slowly he walked over before laying a soft hand on the warrior's shoulder. "Rahim, I failed you and I'm sorry. But I promise you that I am here now and will do whatever it takes to do right by you."

His son didn't brush off the hand as he predicted but remained facing away from him as he took another deep breath. "You can forgive me if I don't put too much hope into your words. If you cannot restore my soul at the time being then you can at least visit every so often so that I know you haven't forgotten me and are still planning on freeing me."

Garret felt his heart swell up a bit at the idea that his son wanted him to continue coming back. While the space may have been a Hell for him and anyone would probably do, it still meant a lot to the alchemist that his son asked him to come back. "Of course! I'll come back whenever I'll get the chance and tell you about all the things you've missed these last few years. When we get you out, you can meet my wife and daughter, they would be so pleased to meet you, I know it!"

Rahim continued to keep his back turned as he nodded slowly. "Then I suggest you leave right now, as you've said, Wrath cannot know you are here or my chance will disappear forever. There is no time in this space, so don't feel the need to rush. Take your time and do it right, we'll likely have only one chance at this."

The older man nodded as he focused for a moment and faded away, likely out of Wrath's soul leaving Rahim alone once again. Once he was sure he was gone, the warrior turned around to reveal a cold calculating expression on his face.

_Looks like he was telling the truth. Talib is much too calculating to fall for such emotional baggage. Garret's guilt keeps him from seeing the big picture, so I doubt he's even considering the possibility that he is being used. Unfortunately my fate is ultimately tied to him succeeding in restoring my soul, at least he now has a vested interest in doing so since he wishes to reunite with his lost son. _

"How pathetically human he is…"

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**Hey guys, sorry for the long update, I've been working for like two weeks straight and I'm still not sure if today is a day off. I already have an idea for the next chapter and if today is really a day off, I'll may be able to get off most of it and finish it by 4th of July. anyway I really hoped you enjoyed the chapter and continue to stay tuned for the next ones. Please drop a review or pm me if you wish to contact me have a nice one guys. **


	51. Chapter 51

**To the guest who asked about Wrath not being able to heal, chapter 14 where Kristoff, Edward, and Ahimoth fought Envy should have your answer. The trade off for completely becoming Envy was that he couldn't heal but his resorvoir of black dust and abilities were exponentially increased. The same applies to Wrath.**

**As for the rest of your questions, they will be answered in later chapters, likely before Christmas for all of them. Work should be winding down since we have more manpower and I should be getting weekends again, so if there are any more questions feel free to contact me and I will answer them.**

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Morning finally after the attack on Arendelle, the brave and valiant men who fought to defend their monarch were all being treated in the infirmary. The castle staff had already begun repairing the structural damage that had been sustained in the attack and the bodies of the dead had been gathered up and all identified. The Queen had ordered that they would be holding a service for every single one of the guards who died last night and their families would be compensated for their loss.

She also called for a council meeting early to inform them of events as well as discuss a few matters. As they had all filled into the room and took their seats, Elsa with Hector by her side, regaled them with the events that transpired last night. She had left out Edward's final details but did not hold anything back when describing the intruder which had them in shock that someone like that existed.

Earl Edward was the first one to get over his shock and speak. He as well as the rest of the council had received a report of yesterday's meeting with King Hans, Prince Ahimoth, Garret Sobel, and a woman named Mary Lawson. The report detailed the work that Mr. Sobel was known for and with the recent attack, it didn't take a genius to see a connection.

"Your Majesty, this is unacceptable. Once again, our guards have proved useless when it comes to combating serious threats to Arendelle. We cannot continue to rely on fleeting luck for protection, we should bolster our might and have this Sobel man make us weapons."

Elsa snapped her head to the man and narrowed her eyes while keeping her mouth in a thin line. She still had no idea who in the council had covered up the deaths of the people she killed and while she wanted to confront them right now, she needed to address Arendelle's more pressing issues, not her personal ones.

"If you remember, in the report Mr. Sobel admitted that he is unable to replicate the results of his research. Also under no circumstances will I condone the continuation of such research, that particular line of work goes against human decency and violates the sanctity of life. Having soldiers whose only line of thought is to kill anyone we point them at is unacceptable. Our guards have done their job and defended their home, they aren't _useless._"

She hissed the last word but kept a tight rein on her magic as she hoped she could get that point across and show them that she had control over her abilities. The Earl held her gaze before huffing and slumping back into his seat as he dropped the matter. With that little victory, the blonde faced the rest of the council to address them.

"Before the attack, Blackdust came here looking for a traitor that matched the description of the assailant from last night. The Southern Isles invited them under the pretense that we were hiding the alleged traitor but Prince Ahimoth who has been injured, has seen the intruder and can testify that we had no hand in hiding the killer of the royalty of the Southern Isles. That does not mean we are out of the clear however as His Majesty might have another objective for coming here and sending two of his own men through the secret passage that leads directly to _my study_. Cameron Klein said that they had been sent to help and that they were both killed by the intruder but the fact remains, they knew how to navigate the secret passageways."

Earl Alphonse spoke up next. "That represents a very large security risk. How could they have possibly known the location of them, not to mention navigate them? Is it possible that we have a traitor among us?" That made murmurs erupt around the council at the idea there might be a traitor but Elsa raised a hand to calm them.

"There is no evidence of that, we should be careful before jumping to that particular conclusion. For now, our priority should be ascertaining why sent those men to the castle. If he was hoping that they could assassinate me in the confusion then he would be a much bigger fool than I believe he is. In which case, I believe their main objective was not me or they wouldn't have tried to fight the intruder who was trying to kill me."

"Speaking of the intruder, it is quite impressive for him to be able to run through so many of our men especially Blackdust's men as well yet you're saying that Edward on his own, was able to subdue them? I find such an achievement to be quite impressive." Elsa turned to Duke Eren who had a suspicious look on his face as he kept his back against his chair and his fingers interlaced. It didn't take a genius to see what he was insinuating. Before she could come up with an answer that would not give away the young man's special talents, Hector spoke up.

"Well he was part of Blackdust's military at one point and from the high opinion that King Alrick had of him, it would stand to reason he was a cut above the rest of their soldiers. I witnessed the battle between the intruder and Edward, he struggled but was able to overcome his opponent thanks to their arrogance in overcommitting to a strike." Elsa quickly flashed a look of gratitude towards the guard who promptly ignored it. What Hector was the truth, Edward did die and when he came back as Wrath managed to score a victory when Rahim tried to remove Wrath's head.

"So you're saying that there is no way Edward could've had a hand in the recent attack?" Hector looked at the Duke for a long moment before he answered.

"My assessment of him is that while he could be useful there are many things that are unknown about him and he could constitute a very real threat to Arendelle. However, he has proven himself to not be aligned with both the intruder or the Queen's kidnapper, so for the time being, I believe he is no threat."

Elsa wasn't aware that she was holding her breath until the Duke nodded and dropped the issue of the young man. After what she had learned last night, she didn't know what to think about her personal guard. He had _so _much reason to undermine her given what she had done to him. Yet here he was sticking up for Edward and keeping him out of the council's crosshairs. It made her wonder what Stonewell meant when he mentioned Grace. She would likely ask later but for now she moved on with the meeting.

"The compromise of the secret passageways is a problem and I plan on barring the way with ice so no one is able to get through unless I am personally there." The council all nodded in agreement as she continued.

"Concerning King Hans, I doubt that if we ask him how his men had known about the secret passageway, he'll give us a straight answer. Which is why I propose we say nothing and only ask why his personal guards entered the castle. If he thinks that we overlooked the secret passageway being compromised, he might use it later when he reveals his hand."

Again, the council agreed as that issue had been discussed. Now it was time to move on to Prince Ahimoth's condition as well as the matter of the intruder's missing body.

"Doctor Steward has said that the Prince will need some rest but he is not in any danger. It seemed that the intruder just wanted to cause him pain but did not wish to kill him. When His Highness awakens, I plan on asking him what he would like to do with the intruder's effects as they were likely the same ones that killed the royalty of the Southern Isles."

Earl Alphonse once again spoke up. "With Edward saving his life and dealing with the intruder, it is very likely that the Prince will absolve us of the accusations that we were in league with the assassin and with the past actions of His Majesty, we will have an ace up our sleeve if he tries to involve the alliance into this matter."

"Which brings me to my next order of business. I wanted to petition the alliance to excommunicate the Southern Isles so that we can finally cut ties with them." The council members all looked up with surprise at the blonde. While they could see where she was coming from, they doubted that the alliance would be as accommodating.

"Your Majesty do you think that would be wise?" The blonde gave the Marquess the look to continue. "While he may have committed crimes here, we extradited him to the Southern Isles and let them punish him which they did. Hsi recent attempt at the throne has never been answered by the previous King and we could not pursue charges. Essentially, we cannot prove he has committed any more crimes if all we have for witnesses are you and your immediate family. Even the Prince of Blackdust's testimony could not be counted on since he could've been coerced by us to lie since we are his only allies. The other members of the alliance know of your dislike for his Majesty and while you have kept positive relations with all of them, we cannot expect them to go out on a limb to remove a major member on your word alone."

The way he explained it made Elsa bite her lip as she agreed with him. They needed more concrete evidence against Hans if they were to remove the Southern Isles from the alliance. While she believed that the King had an assassin kill his family, there was no way of proving it without finding the assassin. That soul echo of Rahim that wore the armor couldn't have done so since his only desire was to kill Wrath. The murder of Prince Albert was some time ago so it would stand to reason the previous holder of Rahim's effects was the culprit. Fortunately that trail led to Hans who had the weapon, unfortunately though, he had witnesses of him being attacked by the wielder of the katana. Which meant unless there was another way to find evidence, all she could do was put the motion on the floor but couldn't expect it to pass soon or at all.

"Arendelle has remained in high standing with our fellow members and we have shown that we are willing to forgive. We did not cut trade with the Southern Isles which the previous King had publicly thanked us for. We were also the first to send forces to the kingdom when we believed Weselton had invaded them. With their ships still in the Southern Isles' territory, it stands to reason that something has happened to the leadership that requires the alliance to respond. I will put the notion on the floor and allow the other members to draw up their own investigations as to why Weselton forces are still in the Southern Isles and if it is discovered that Hans used those forces to conquer his home, then he will be removed from the alliance."

The resolute way she spoke had the council members once again agreeing to her which wrapped up the official meeting. As they gathered their reports and were about to ask if they could be dismissed, Elsa held up a hand.

"There is one more thing I would like to discuss. It concerns the previous damage report of our kingdom after my coronation."

Elsa finally could confront her council about this and judging from the way a few of them exchanged subtle glances at one another, they knew what was coming. She was ready to speak her mind when a firm hand landed on her shoulder. Looking up in surprise, she saw Hector leaning down so he could whisper in her ear.

"Please, before you go through with this, allow me to talk to you privately."

She could've said no, the topic was very important to her and she wanted to get to the bottom of it now but the way he asked her had the blonde calling for a quick recess as she left the room with her guard. They went down the hall into one of the side rooms and closed it so the two of them were alone.

Elsa had walked in first and watched as Hector remained at the door with his back to her before taking a deep breath and facing her. "Your Majesty, I don't think it would be wise for you to bring up the four casualties as a result of your coronation."

The woman's mind stopped for a moment as she considered what Hector just said. From what Rahim had said, he watched them die in front of him and he was blamed for it. She wanted to rectify that fact and have his name cleared, to do that, she needed to know the names of the people who died. As well as make sure her council knew that sugarcoating a report to keep her blissfully unaware and condemning another man for deaths he's not responsible for was unacceptable.

_Why on earth would he want her to let the state of the matter remain the same?_

"Hector...I haven't had the chance to tell you how sorry I am for causing the death of your friends. I truly wish to do right by you, I can't do that if I don't know their names. I also can't condone my own council hiding things like this from me, to resort to these measures is just wrong."

Hector had a thoughtful expression on his face as he took a seat in one of the chairs in the room. "Your Majesty, when you took the throne after revealing your abilities to all your allies, there was a sudden urge to understand you. Many kingdoms secretly corresponded with your council to gauge whether or not you would be a threat while you tried to be the ruler you are today. The council made sure that you were viewed as a nonaggressive party that would only attack if provoked. Thanks to their experience and methods, you have been able to make more allies and improve the kingdom's economy thanks to their hidden deals."

The next words he spoke made him sick but he said them anyway.

"Four lives is an insignificant price to pay for an entire kingdom."

Elsa was horrified to hear that come from the man's mouth. She could easily tell that they weren't his own words but for him to repeat it was shocking to say the least.

"Y-you can't just write off four lives just like that! Just pretend they were nothing! Every life has value! They were your _friends, _how could you say something like that?!"

Hector faced her with a tired expression, one that he had only shown one another person. He never would've imagined that he would show it to the woman who he had resented in the beginning but now he was beginning to see why so many guards were loyal to her. She was an idealist, most of the time he would've called her a fool but he could see that she would not budge on her position.

"I say that because they would agree that their lives are a small price to pay. If it became known that people died thanks to you, then your enemies would use that against you and slander your reputation. We also considered the effect it would have on you. It's easy to see how much this is bothering you now. Imagine how you would've felt if you were told that people _did _die when you asked back when you first took office."

Elsa was taken aback when she thought back on her first few weeks of being Queen. She was so nervous and tiptoed everywhere she went trying to get used to being out of her room and having her powers out in the open. She constantly apologized to her people and did her best to stay away from them out of fear of hurting someone. Anna was more than enough guilt for her, she would've died if someone else had been killed thanks to her.

She had people who helped her along the way and helped turn her into the person she was today. If she had known that she killed four people back then, then she would've been so consumed by grief she would never move on.

Elsa didn't want to see why her council would do this.

She wanted to stick to her ideals that what they did was wrong, but the Queen of Arendelle saw the logic in their plan and agreed with them. Her face became downcast as she realized that the logical part of her mind agreed with them. The look was easily caught by Hector who continued to speak.

"Arendelle would've suffered if you were too wracked with guilt that you couldn't become the Queen you are today. You were not ready to hear it back then, and now that you have today, you can't allow it to compromise your ability to lead Arendelle."

"What does that have to do with confronting my council today and righting the lie that has been going on since I've ruled?"

Hector gave her an almost bored expression, like she knew better than to ask that question. "Think for a moment. Let's say you did confront them, what would you do? You've given them half your power and they have deep ties within Arendelle. Should you wish to remove them or punish them, I can guarantee that they have more assets besides me that they can use. They could easily reveal to the people that you've killed with your abilities and make you seem that you aren't safe to be around. That would undermine your rule and would eventually give them even more power over the throne. The lie in place has kept the people blissfully unaware and kept you focused on bettering Arendelle for all, why mess with that?"

Everything he said appealed to the logic that was in the Queen of Arendelle's head but it refused to compute to Elsa. She could not accept doing nothing and pretending everything was the same as it always was. She would not let those four people who were forgotten remain forgotten.

Hector watched her head dip for a moment as she whispered her next words.

"That may be…"

Then her blue eyes snapped up with a strength very few have seen from her.

"...but I will not write off the value of any of my people's lives."

The resolute way she said that told Hector all that he needed to know. Despite what she had been told and how much it made sense, she was going to march out of the room and confront her council. She didn't care of the consequences and how much it would hurt her position, she wanted to do right by her people and nothing would stop her.

It made him admire her for a brief moment.

Hector could finally see why people like Stonewell, Grace, and even Edward see so much in the blonde woman. If he were blissfully unaware of the lie, he'd probably admire her just as proudly as all her other subjects. She was truly devoted to her people and her kingdom. She didn't care for the money or status, all that mattered to her was the happiness of her people and to live up to the trust they had in her.

Which was why he found himself on one knee with his head bowed.

Such an action from him would likely cause confusion from the woman as she likely thought that he couldn't stand her. At first that was the truth but as he spent time with her, he could see that she was no danger to Arendelle. Instead, she would be the person who would allow it to bloom. To that end, he would do his job and protect that future.

"Queen Elsa, I am moved by your conviction to do what is right for your people. I have betrayed your trust and for that I am truly sorry. I ask not that you forgive me, only that you reconsider your plan to confront your council. You are the future of Arendelle and if you have to take time to worry about your position being undermined by those who are supposed to advise you, it hurts the people. I have made my peace with being the scapegoat for their deaths, for the longest time, I blamed you but truly it wasn't your fault. I know that you would never intentionally cause the death of another person, however should you confront them, I fear they will make you out to be something that you are not. Please, think not of the lie that has been told. Think of the people who depend on you to continue to look after them."

The woman was absolutely stunned by the heartfelt words that Hector had given her. Ever since finding out that he reported to the council behind her back, she thought that he wanted her removed from power but right now it seemed he truly wanted her to remain where she was. Taking a step forward, she bent down and laid a gentle hand on the man's shoulder so he would look at her.

"Hector…I truly appreciate your words, but how can you expect me to move on and be the ruler my people need me to be if I allow even one of them to remain forgotten?"

"So there is no changing your mind?"

"I have to do right by my people, none of them will ever be forgotten as long as I'm Queen."

"Then I have a proposal for you."

* * *

Hans was pacing in the room that led to the throne room. He had been called by the Queen and asked to wait out here until she had completed her council meeting. The King was a bit antsy when he was informed that his guards had been killed. They were supposed to be unstoppable killing weapons and they were defeated by one man. Greed had told him that he was to leave as soon as possible since they lost a key piece to their strategy to blackmail Elsa.

The council member from Blackdust was dead, the intruder from last night had little impulse control and killed the only person who could convey the threat of Wrath being in Arendelle. They had also lost Rahim's armor and katana who were both now in the Queen's possession, she could offer them as gifts to Blackdust to solidify their relations and push out any attempts the Southern Isles might have to ally with them.

That woman Mary had been an unwelcome variable as she seemed to know way too much and after a couple of hours of reading the journal, Hans knew why. She was Sloth and also _Talib's assistant. _The knowledge she had was insurmountable. There was no way they would be able to use her, she'd likely had her own plans that they shouldn't get involved with.

A year ago, Hans would've tried to press his luck but after the fiasco of his last trip in Arendelle, he took Greed's words to heart and decided it was time to fall back. That insufferable lard of a man, Kai walked out of the throne room with his customary blank expression as he gestured for the royal to go inside.

Hans walked in expecting to see that extravagant ice display from earlier but to his surprise, he was back in the normal throne room with Elsa standing in the center of the room with her personal guard. She was wearing her normal ice dress with the small necklace around her neck. She didn't appear to be trying to intimidate him this time but he couldn't always be sure with her.

"King Hans, I wish I could say it was nice to see you but that would be a lie. You've worn out your welcome far too many times and I've grown tired of seeing you. Your earlier accusation that Arendelle had a hand in the assassination of your family is now baseless since the real culprit has been dealt with. Fortunately for you, when we seized his belongings there was nothing tying you to hiring him and so you've managed to stay clean in this matter. Which is why I shall offer you some advice you'd be very wise to heed."

Elsa took one step forward and a patch of ice shot out from her feet and wrapped around Hans in a cylinder ice prison with see through ice. The King wasn't too surprised and remained calm as he could perfectly hear the blonde speak.

"For your crimes during your last trip here, I hereby banish you from Arendelle as well as cut off all trade from the Southern Isles. You may visit and trade with other members of the alliance but Arendelle is off limits for you, returning here will bring about dire consequences."

Hans should've just nodded and left but he couldn't help poking at the woman to see the cracks in her bluff.

"And what if I decide to return?"

An intense blizzard was the answer to his question as his prison raged with snow and ice that seemed to materialize out of nowhere. Hans began to shiver as he continued to listen as Elsa's voice very clearly breached the ice of his prison.

"Any ship that has your colors will be frozen on sight and your men will have to figure out how to sail a ship with frozen sails as well as a frozen rudder. As I understand, your kingdom is not too far away so your men will not be in any real danger of starving as you will be able to find them. While I will not intentionally cause any mortal harm to men just following orders, I can promise you that they will not take one step in my kingdom without needing to thawed out at _least_ once."

Elsa snapped her fingers and his prison broke into tiny pieces releasing him but by the time it did, frost covered his hair and his skin. He was shivering and could barely stand. Hans looked up at her and met her eyes that watched him like a hawk waiting for its prey to make the wrong move.

She was allowing him to get away today but would not be so kind the next time.

Hans took what little dignity he had left and straightened himself out before leaving the throne room and the castle. All the while, he secretly vowed to get it back when he would return with Weselton at his back.

* * *

Edward woke a loud groan as he stretched then opened his eyes to see he was in an unfamiliar room. Judging by the room, he guessed that he was in one of the castle guest rooms. The events of last night were still fresh in his mind as he threw his legs off the bed and stared at the floor for a moment.

He still had so many questions of what happened with Wrath, how Rahim came to be, Hector, and why Mr. Jorgen appeared in that Hell. he doubted that he would get many answers but he at least knew where to start. He hopped out of bed and just now noticed that he was wearing only a pair of ice pants that were actually quite comfortable. It was like wearing plush fluffy snow on his legs but his waistband was comfortable secured to him. The chill they gave off might've bothered other people but it was nice to him, so much so he decided to keep it.

Looking to the nightstand, he saw an extra change of clothes, they consisted of a simple dark blue shirt, some beige pants, boots on the floor. When he noticed that the shirt was short sleeve, Edward inwardly began to panic as he thought his left arm would be on display but when he looked over to it, he finally noticed that it was normal again.

In a daze, he flexed his fingers and was stunned that actually worked as they were supposed to. He felt around his arm with his other hand was met with the sensation of familiar skin. He could still feel the lingering strength of the blackdust that now flowed through his body and with a little focus, he turned his arm back into Wrath's. He scraped his claws against one another absentmindedly as he once again focused and his arm returned to normal.

Edward guessed that thanks to their near death experience and the replenishment of black dust, control of the demon's abilities became easier. He thought about asking Wrath about it but decided to do so later. The predator was still somewhat quiet after what he went through and the young man could understand if he needed some time and space. So he decided that it was time that he started his day.

Rising to his feet, he quickly changed into his clothes and exited the room then walked toward the infirmary. As he walked, he could see the staff bustling past him to help repair the damage that last night's attack brought upon the castle. Some of them waved at him while others bowed. He awkwardly waved back until he got to the main section of the castle and spotted a familiar plump man.

"Good morning Kai."

The attendant turned from directing the staff to see Edward and bowed his head lowly. "Master Edward, a good morning to you too sir."

Once again the young man looked awkward as he scratched the back of his head. "Kai, please don't call me that, it's just Edward. I'm not a noble or have any titles so you shouldn't feel the need to address me as such."

The attendant straightened himself out and showed off an amused smile. "While that may be true, your exploits have made you more than worthy of the rank. You've already saved the Queen and now it's being said that you defeated the intruder last night who took down quite a few of our guards. The men in the infirmary are singing your praises to the staff and they really paint you out to be legendary hero."

"It really wasn't that big of a deal, I was barely able to defeat the intruder on my own, plus Queen Elsa and Hector were there too."

"The two of them said that you were doing well on your own and didn't need their help." Edward inwardly sighed. As much as it flattered him for them to think so highly of him, in the back of his mind, he felt guilty that most of the damage was his fault. That soul echo may have belonged to Rahim, but the lengths it went to hurt the young man came from him killing the warrior's mother. In Edward's head, every death and injury that Rahim's soul echo did was because of him. A comforting hand laid upon his shoulder.

"Are you alright?"

His face must've betrayed his thoughts as Edward snapped his gaze up to Kai who had a patient expression. The young man wanted to tell him what was really on his mind since he knew Kai was more than trustworthy enough to know but he didn't want to put too much on the attendant's plate.

"Yeah...I'm just sorry that so many people were hurt before I could do anything. It feels like every injury or death last night is my fault."

The plump man shook his head before giving a reassuring smile. "Edward, you cannot blame yourself for the actions of others. Regardless of what you do to another, it is still ultimately _their _decision as to what they do. The guards last night who fought and lost their lives did so because they wanted to protect their home. They made the decision to lay down their lives to keep their families safe from those who wish to harm them. Even if they fall, they believe that their comrades will rise and make their sacrifice mean something…"

Kai's other hand poked the young man where his heart was. "_You, _made their sacrifice worth it. You rose to the challenge for all those who have fallen and protected their home. They're hopes and dreams are a part of you and will push you forward because they believe in _you._ I don't think they would've wanted you to be blaming yourself for their deaths, I would be so bold to think that they would want you to keep doing what you've been doing. Making sure their home is safe and helping their comrades do the same."

Edward felt his spirits rise as he gave the attendant a very grateful smile. He could now see where Anna and Elsa got their encouraging speeches from. "Thanks Kai, I needed to hear that."

"It was my pleasure Master Edward."

The young man sighed and ultimately gave up on trying to make the plump man call him something else, he guessed that he would just have to learn to live with it.

"Alright, I'm going to head for the infirmary. I want to check on Stonewell and the rest of the guards who are still in there." As he moved past the man, he took a few steps before he heard Kai speak up one more time.

"Their Majesties King Agnar and Queen Iduna would've very much liked to meet you. I'm sure they would've adored you Edward."

The young man froze in his tracks before slowly turning to face the plump man who was now leaving the room to continue conducting his duties. Edward still remembered when he looked upon the late King and Queen's portrait and wondered what they would've thought of him. It made him happy to think that their attendant thought that they would've liked him, it made him feel warm inside to know he might've had their approval.

Remembering what he was about to do, the young man jogged to the section of the castle where the infirmary was and as he turned the corner to the hallway of the room, he noticed someone leaning against the door. The first thing he noticed were her eyes, she may have seemed to be lost in thought but the way her eyes focused on some spot on the floor seemed vaguely familiar to him. Her mouth was a thin line as had her arms crossed and just continued to stand there, like she was waiting on something. Walking to the door, he waited to see if she would notice his presence but as he put a hand on the door, she hadn't even spared him a glance. He never met the woman and probably didn't have a reason to engage in conversation with her if she didn't want to do so. With that in mind, he put her out of his mind as he walked into the room.

He could recognize the men on the beds all with varying wounds that didn't look too grievous. As he walked in, one of them noticed him and instantly the room's dreary mood was lifted.

"Hey, it's Ed!"

"There he is! Eddy, you strong son of a bitch!"

"Sir, can you teach us how you won against that guy?"

The guards rose out of bed and slowly limped to the young man who looked very bashful at all the praise he was receiving. He could see Doctor Steward looking a little peeved that his patients were all out of bed but he kept his displeasure to himself as he shot the young man an approving nod. Edward took a few moments to answer the men as well as promise that they would get to training soon but for now they needed rest. A few guards went back to their beds while the others continued to crowd around him, still in awe over his exploits. It might've gone on for quite a bit if a familiar bark filled the room.

"If you idiots don't stop getting on your knees and worshipping him like a gold digging harlot, I will get out of this bed and kick all your asses even with my fucked up legs!"

The guards all immediately went back to their beds to not incur the wrath of their Captain who seemed to be doing alright. He was propped up in his bed with his customary frown. Hector was sitting next to him with a slightly amused expression on his face. Edward could tell that from the old man's face, he was not happy to be in the infirmary. He remembered that the Captain had his legs cut by Rahim's katana and wasn't even able to walk afterwards. For someone who was so angry and a very accomplished warrior, it must've been infuriating to be laid up in a sick bed.

"Come on old man, be nice. They had a rough night."

Stonewell fixed the young man with an indignant stare. "I don't give a shit if they had a rough night. For one man to go through all these men is a disgrace, they better enjoy this brief rest bit because they're going to be training like crazy as soon as possible."

The collective gulp around the room was loud enough to be heard as Edward raised his hands in a calming gesture. "You need to take it easy, that one guy was a special case-"

"If it wasn't God then I don't care."

The Captain then leveled a stern finger at the young man's direction. "Don't think just because you're some kind of hero now that you're exempt. I'm more pissed off at you then them. I _told _you not to hesitate or fall but once again, you get your ass kicked. Damn it runt, I thought we figured this shit out back in the mountains. I don't feel like climbing up there again and freezing my ass off, so you better get it together."

To anyone who didn't know Stonewell, he would just be a criticizing old asshole who would never be impressed and had unreasonable standards. To the young man, he could tell the Captain really believed his men could do better and was happy that they survived to have the chance to become better. Edward wouldn't say it out loud, if he did, Stonewell might make good on his earlier threat, but all the same he smiled.

"Alright, message received loud and clear."

The old man dropped his finger before crossing his arms with a huff as he seemingly accepted the young man's words. With all the excitement finally over, Edward could now notice Hector and with the events of what happened last night fresh in his mind, he wanted to talk to the noble.

"Hector, you mind if we speak privately for a moment?"

The man in question fixed him with a neutral stare while Stonewell's eyes slid over to the two of them briefly before making a loud groaning noise. "Ahh if you two are going to argue, take it outside. I'm going to take a nap, if you two wake me up then I'll tear out your tongues." The two of them looked at the old man who placed his hand behind his head and leaned back against his pillow with his eyes closed.

"Sure, let's go outside."

Hector led the way out of the infirmary and once the two of them were in the hallway, the noble turned to the woman that was still outside the doors. "Grace, you coming or are you staying here?"

"I'm going to stay here for a little while longer."

The noble nodded his head as he led the way down the hallway. As Edward followed, he filed away the name Grace in the back of his mind as he watched the woman slightly open the door to stare inside the infirmary. He was becoming more and more curious about her but eventually dropped it when Hector opened the door to an empty parlor and closed the door behind the two of them so now they were alone.

"What did you want to talk about?"

Edward noted the absence of the usual glare that was generally aimed at him from the guard and would have said something about it any other time but for now he had other things on his mind.

"I just wanted to apologize for last night."

The noble said nothing and it prompted the young man to continue. "I know what Rahim's soul echo said to you about your friends and now it finally makes sense why you feel the way you do toward Queen Elsa. You've been told who I really am and I can understand the pain you feel when you're blamed for someone's death. Especially when you weren't the one who did it and you have to spend close time with the one who was."

Hector took on a thoughtful expression before he snorted. "You know, I _really _don't like you. Since the first moment I've known you, you just had this wounded puppy look to you, yet Stonewell puts _you _in charge of training his guards. Sure you're a competent fighter when it counts, but all you do is tiptoe everywhere you go and that sickens me. If you're strong than act strong, you're more than capable than most men will be if they trained their entire lives. I called you a threat because only someone who acts weak but is very strong is either a hidden threat or a coward. You're obviously no coward so I think you're a threat, not because of what you are. You're a threat because at the end of the day, you fight with kid gloves. Last night, you actually took a full step, you with murderous, unwavering, and focused on winning. _That _is what we'll need if another freak comes calling."

The noble took a step forward and got in the young man's face. "So you can shove that sorry up your ass. As far as I'm concerned, Rahim was the one who said and did all that shit last night, you killed him, end of story. You kept saying you aren't him, well then don't apologize for his actions. He _chose _to kill our men when he was perfectly capable of rendering them unconcious, he acted like he was their teacher then mercilessly used their deficiencies against them. He's gone and I will not spend one second crying about it. Next time you do, I will literally shove my mace down your throat, now that I know you can walk it off."

Hector moved to leave after that aggressive speech that stunned Edward for a moment who looked at the retreating back of the guard. While he honestly wasn't too surprised by the threat as well as the harsh words, he read in between the lines and was taken aback by the _slight _compliment he was just given. If he asked about it then the guard would probably try to make good on his threat so he kept his mouth shut.

When Edward first met Hector, he had a very low opinion of the arrogant noble who seemed to think everything was beneath him. Even now, his opinion of Bowman was still quite low, but after learning about the layers of his personality, the young man felt a _small _amount of respect for the guard. To be able to swallow his hurt feelings and pride for the sake of their kingdom was admirable. Even when it would be easier to let the person you blame for your pain to die, Hector upholded his role and truly felt that Elsa was good for Arendelle and laid down his life for her.

_Guess you aren't __**that **__big of an asshat, Bowman…_

The young man would've let the guard go but something just occurred to him that made him speak up. "Hector?"

The mentioned man turned with an annoyed expression. "Yes?"

"Where's Elsa?"

The annoyed expression turned into a thoughtful one as the guard debated on if he should answer that question. He knew where she was and remembered the proposal that he made. The conditions of the proposal kept him from being with the Queen but never said anything about the young man in front of him who started to look worried with the lack of response. The noble could see he obviously cared about the blonde fervently which had him talking with a meaningful expression.

"I'll tell you where she is, _only _if you listen to what I say and really take a moment to think about it."

* * *

The sun was beginning to set on Arendelle as people were beginning to return to their homes to rest for the night. The waning sunlight made the more rural areas of the village glow with an autumn shade of color as a person was walking down a winding path back toward the castle. Her simple beige blouse that reached her ankles and covered her arms with a white apron had some wrinkles and dirt smudges here and there. On her head concealing her face was a white bonnet that was kept low to hide her face.

She seemed to have the weight of the world on her shoulders as she walked with her head down and didn't acknowledge anyone that walked past her. Recent memories of what caused her current mood bounced around in her head as she continued to walk back to the castle.

_Y-you're saying they froze…_

_Who cares if he's dead, just give me my money!_

The first two houses were relatively close to one another so she was able to see them first. The first house was around the village circle, the family there was close knit and were honored she had come to personally see them. Before they spoke, she had told them she had only come as a simple woman with no title and that there would be no consequence for what they did or say during her time there.

The family was confused at why she would say such things as they seemed to have a great deal of respect and love for her. That made her feel more guilty as she finally confessed the reason why she was here and why two of their boys truly did not return home during her coronation.

When she described to them the real way they died, the family was in shock and could barely think or consider what she had just told them. She apologized but it felt hollow to her as the mother of those boys started to cry as the father comforted her. It took awhile but the older woman calmed down and told their visitor that she didn't blame her. She said that she was content to see that their two sons would not be forgotten and that someone as powerful as their visitor cared about them.

The father told their visitor stories about them and how they lived. His face was greatly pained but he wore it well and asked that she apologized to Hector for him. The father confessed that he had hated the guard after he told them that they just died and left. The noble gave no explanation, only that it was his fault and walked away. The father remembered how furious he was when the guard had no emotion on his face when he said it, like they didn't matter at all one bit.

When their visitor told him that Hector truly agonized over their deaths and who was really responsible, the father had a deep sense of regret for saying all those mean things to the guard.

Their visitor stayed for a while and then left after promising the family compensation for their loss but was denied when they said that her coming here was payment enough.

The woman left the house surprised they forgave her but still had a heavy sense of guilt on her shoulders as she continued on to the next house. The next house was on the edge of town that she never visited. It was here she could finally see the less fortunate of citizens that she fought to try and better their lives. When she knocked on the door of the house she was looking for, a middle aged man answered.

His face was thin and his hair was caked with grime. His eyes were wild and unfocused as he seemed to be coming down from something. When he barked for her to tell him who she was, the woman answered and the man laughed because he didn't believe her. Nevertheless, she told him the same she told the first family and when she finished, she was horrified to see that the man didn't care one bit that his brother had died.

He was more concerned with the money that was promised him as compensation for his brother's death. The woman was floored by the blatant disregard for the lack of feeling towards the man's own sibling. She was tempted to rescind her offer as compensation but the man grabbed and yelled at her that it was still her fault that he was dead. The woman was shaken and wanted to fight to break free from the grip that was on her arms but she remained calm and told him that she would regret that for the rest of her life but she at least cared about him, more than his own brother did.

She then left the house after dropping her promised compensation in his hands. He eyed the coins inside with glee as he began to mutter to himself before walking back into his broken shack of a home. As the woman walked away, it began to dawn on her what was wrong with the man she just met and what he intended to do with that money.

Arendelle was a great place to live and she strived to make the lives of her people prosperous with low crime rates and clean streets. That however didn't mean that a small amount of drugs couldn't sneak into her home and from what she read of the recent demand of opium and its misuse, that man had been a frequent user.

With the money she gave him, she could see that he would likely buy more and while it saddened her to know that she had enabled his addiction and likely worsened his state of life, she had said that no consequence would come from her and as she is now learning, she can't control everything. She would make medical care a higher priority for those who would wish to better themselves and hoped that she would one day see that man again trying to better himself.

That left one last house to go to and when she arrived, a woman answered with a small boy next to her. Not used to visitors the woman asked who she was and was surprised when her visitor introduced herself.

She remembered talking with the mother and confessing what happened. The look on the mother's face stabbed in the heart as she began yelling at her visitor despite her son being in the room.

That last house was the most painful place she had been in for a long time, and after she left, all the woman wanted to do was return to the castle.

She continued to walk in a daze until she bumped into someone. Keeping her head down, she tried to step past them but a soft hand on her side kept her in place. She should've recognized the smell of the person in front of her but her feelings on pain and guilt clouded her senses. It was the comforting hand that was holding her that made it obvious who she had bumped into. She wanted to keep her head down, she didn't want to see her face but another hand gently tipped up her chin until the bonnet couldn't hide her face from him.

Edward was staring down with a patient expression at Elsa whose eyes were still red from crying and her cheek had a harsh red mark on it.

The woman waited for the young man's eyes to harden and demand who had laid a hand on her. She wasn't going to tell him but she also didn't want to fight him on this. Nevertheless she prepared for the shoe to drop as his protective instincts would surely kick in.

To her surprise, all he did was just wrap his arms around her and pull her into his chest.

As she stood there in his comforting grasp, she just kept still. She was so close to breaking down again and she didn't want that. She didn't want to break down in front of him and show him her pain which would make him try to get back at the person who made her feel this way. Little did he know that the person who hurt her, _was _her. So she kept telling herself one phrase that she used to hate but still live by.

_Conceal, don't feel. _

_Conceal, don't feel. _

_Conceal, don't feel…_

"...It's ok, Elsa."

What little strength she had that kept the dam from coming down broke with those three words. She wanted to scream and beat his chest for bringing down her walls when she wanted to hold it in until she was alone and safely in her room in the castle. She didn't want anyone to see her break down but she found herself sobbing into his chest and grasping onto him like he was the only lifeline she had.

Edward said nothing as she continued to cry in his arms. He knew the proposal that Hector made with Elsa. In exchange for not confronting the council with them covering up those four deaths, Hector would tell her who they were and where their families were.

Elsa had reluctantly agreed and left the castle to see the families of the people she killed. Part of the deal was that no one but her could go because she wanted to go before them as Elsa and not the Queen of Arendelle. She understood that they may say or act in a way that would force her guards to act in kind. She wanted them to have no fear or retaliation and for them to speak as freely as possible.

Edward understood but didn't like it. So he shadowed her, far enough she wouldn't see him but close enough to be aware of what was happening.

When that man in the shack grabbed her, Edward wanted to rip his arms off but he stayed where he was, he had complete faith in Elsa and didn't want to undermine her noble intentions. When that mother at the final house wailed and screamed at the blonde before rising up with fury and slapping Elsa across the face with the pent up hurt that came from losing her husband, Edward wanted to hold Elsa right then when he saw that she began to cry but stayed where he was. He watched her apologize and offer compensation before being kicked out of the woman's home.

Edward debated on if he should just allow her to continue on her own back to the castle since she decided to do this on her own but remembered that she was always there for him, even if he wished she wasn't. At times it was irritating and downright worrying when she was in danger for being around him but he loved her company as she allowed him to be just him and no one else.

Right now, she was just Elsa, and he wanted to be there just for her.

So he appeared right in front of her and cradled her in her arms. He could guess that she would try to keep all her pain in but just like she had done for him, he had her letting it all out with just him and no one else.

He said nothing as she cried into his chest, only making his grip even firmer so that she knew that he was there and that he wasn't going anywhere.

* * *

**Hey guys, another update. To be honest I've been sitting on this for a minute and maybe could've gotten this out sooner but work has been hard. On the 2nd, we had a block party because we finally got a break off work so I went drinking and having fun. The 3rd was a moving day and I'm finally knocking out the 4th for this story. I hope you all enjoyed it and I'm actually surprised that this was a chapter worthy. I expected it not to be this long but somehow i hit 7k words but good news is that I already have a plan for the next two chapters so hopefully I'll get them out before work cause I have like 2 more free days. Anyway please pm me if you wish to contact me and don't forget to review, have a lovely 4th of July.**


	52. Chapter 52

**Shoutouts to :****GamingPro** **and ****ShadowWolve** **for the follow/favorites.**

**In response to guest review: regarding Edward and Wrath's character, their character growth is not yet finished yet the line between them is beginning to blur as the fanfic progresses. As for Hector, I hated him too and actually wanted him to get beat up but thought that it was a waste of potential so I gave him some backstory as well as some importance later on. Finally, Elsa's penance was somewhat difficult to write because I wanted to keep it somewhat vague yet descriptive enough to be meaningful. Edward has his own share of guilt that he's had to face alone and it would be hypocritical of him if he tried to hold her hand throughout the entire trial. I truly appreciate you thinking this is better than a first time in forever even though personally I don't feel like its on that level yet. Hopefully with the later chapters it'll get there as I do have a rough roadmap of how its going to go and really the only thing stopping me is me having time to write it all out. Hopefully in seven months when I return to the states I'll be on chapter 80 and on which then I'll hopefully get a lot of time off and will maybe finish this fanfic off at chapter 100. Idk I don't feel that this is the halfway point but after the climax, things will be moving pretty quickly so we'll just see how it goes.**

* * *

Ever since Ahimoth had gone to appraise the situation in Arendelle and Alrick was late from his trek to Corona, there wasn't anyone on the throne who could deal with royal matters. Unofficially anyway. As she was about to be married to Ahimoth, Lilian was able to fill in for the two men and the council reluctantly accepted that she would have to get familiar with dealing with such matters.

As a welcome surprise for them, Lilian was quite sharp and was able to deal with most matters and topics much faster than the two warriors the council was familiar with. She had to put her wedding planning on hold of course as she had too much work but as it turned out, running a kingdom was easier than planning your own wedding. The woman was currently on some paperwork when the doors to the office opened up and a messenger strode inside.

"My lady, we have just received word that Pride has returned."

Lilian's quill burned a bit at the mention of the man that scared her more than any other. Usually, such news would not be announced as the man would come and go as he pleased. He'd stop by to speak with the King before doing whatever he fancied. With both Alrick and Ahimoth gone, the person with the most rank would be her and so he would likely be on his way to speak with her.

As she considered that she was alone with the warrior, her mind was abuzz with slight panic as she imagined all the things that could happen. Pride had already demonstrated that he had no qualms with killing her and that he already had a desire to do so even if she didn't provoke him. Her attack on his father might've exacerbated that sentiment but with the alchemist dead, she thought that he would have less reason to kill her.

_Well, I guess we'll see._

She waited a few more minutes with baited breath before Alrick's office door opened and Pride walked through it. The first thing she noticed was that his usual strong and determined expression was gone and replaced with a completely neutral one. There was no sign of distaste or arrogance in his eyes as he looked in her direction before speaking

"Where is His Majesty?"

The woman was surprised at his nonaggressive tone that was directed at her and it stalled her answer. As she studied the man for a moment, there were several things that were off about him. One of them was he was missing his large weapon that he generally carried on his person. Another thing was the fact he was wearing a buttoned up collared shirt with a blue double button vest and slacks with black dress shoes. As far as she remembered, Pride always wore clothing that he could fight in, she'd never seen him dress nicely. His long hair that was generally unkempt as it usually flowed down the sides of his face was now neatly pulled back to a ponytail that reminded her of a late alchemist.

"H-he is currently on a trip to Corona to verify some new information about the remnant's whereabouts."

"And Ahimoth?"

"He went to Arendelle to look in on a situation there."

Pride nodded his head before turning around and took steps toward the door. Personally Lilian would've preferred that he just leave without speaking with her but she knew that the warrior went on missions from the King to verify the remnants' whereabouts. She needed to know what had happened on his last trip so that she could inform the King when he returned in case Pride left before then.

"Whatever you have to report to his Majesty, you can just tell me. I am filling in for the two of them and will be able to relay any information to them when they return if you aren't here."

The man turned to face her with a pensive expression as he looked dead into her eyes which made her flinch a bit. While she was still weary of his intentions toward her, she knew he was loyal to the throne and would put that before his personal feelings.

"Very well. I only wished to report that during my latest trip, I was unable to find any trace of the enemy. However, I've heard some rumors of a large amount of bandits moving throughout the regions as well as Weselton forces moving as well. After some digging, it's come to my attention that the Southern Isles was invaded by a large unknown force. Weselton sent some of its own forces in that direction and have stabilized the kingdom. I tried to learn what flag that the invasion force was flying but had no success on that front."

The woman nodded as she remembered Ahimoth telling her that the Southern Isles had asked that they accompany them to Arendelle after they were invaded and that they had information about the missing armor and weapon of one of their most notorious traitors. It still bothered Lilian to think that Rahim was a traitor when he had shown her kindness long ago and was her financee's most trusted friend. Sure, he was quiet and vengeful but there was so much underneath all the pain that defined him.

_If he moved on from the pain of his past, he could truly be a bright and loving person._

At least, that's what she believed. Given the way she felt, Lilian kept her opinions to herself when the council brought up the topic of the traitor. When Ahimoth told her that someone wearing Rahim's armor killed off a royal line, she argued that Rahim wouldn't do that. The Prince reminded her that their friend was dead and was replaced with the monster that killed him so it wasn't too far outside the realm of possibility. Nevertheless, she was convinced with the small time she had with 'Edward' that Rahim was alive inside him and still acted as he would've.

The way he agonized over hurting his best friend, offering an apology to the crimes he's committed, surrendering himself to any punishment, and finally bowing his head to the current Prince of Blackdust were all traits that she knew Rahim possessed. His guilt just made him change his name. Regardless of how she felt, the Prince would still have to go to confirm the information they received. That was a few days ago and Lilian fervently waited for Ahimoth's return.

"I see, I'll put that in a report for His Majesty to look over, are you planning on leaving soon?"

"Not immediately, I've come back for some effects that Talib left in his lab." Lilian was already writing the report when she heard his answer and her eyes briefly rose to see the man's expression. She remembered that he really didn't show much sorrow in learning his father died and back then she thought it was a wall he put up to not seem weak in front of everyone in the room. With this new attitude and wardrobe change, she thought that maybe she'd see what he truly felt. As her eyes took in his face, she stilled at the newest emotion on the man's expression.

Unadulterated rage was present on his face at the mention of the late alchemist. He was so much angrier than he had been at her when she tried to incinerate the man. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to be out of the room and as far away from the warrior as possible. Fortunately, it wasn't aimed at her. His eyes were burning a hole into his hand that he had lifted in front of him. His fist was tightly closed as she could see a drop of blood fall from him gripping his hand too hard.

She felt that she should say something, anything to calm him down but she was too afraid of him focusing his anger on her. As if the heavens heard her plight, an urgent banging on the door drew both of their attention. Pride pulled it open to see a messenger out of breath with a panicked expression.

"My lady, my lord, please excuse my actions! There is an emergency! The council has asked that you two come to the throne room immediately!"

The tone of urgency in the messenger's voice had the three of them briskly making their way to the throne room where they found the council as well as many military leaders crowding something. Lilian had tripped for a second seeing all these people in the throne room as she recognized a few Generals as well as some Captains that led their military. Why were they here, was Blackdust under attack?

When the sounds of their footsteps indicated to everyone in the room that Lilian and Pride had arrived, the crowd wordlessly opened up for them. In the center of the group lied a box with its lid off to the side. Judging from everyone's expressions, whatever was inside the box was the cause of the room's distress. Taking a few steps to reach the center of the crowd, the two of them looked into the box and gazed upon the amputated arm as well as their King's double bladed sword inside.

Lilian's hands went up to her mouth in shock as Pride's eyes narrowed in annoyance. The two of them had known the King for a long time and could recognize the scars that adorned his left arm. The warrior was the first to speak as he turned toward the highest ranking General in the room.

"Who brought this here?"

General Tulius, the new Commander of the King's Spearhead was slightly insulted at the tone the young man took with him. Rank wise, only the Prince and the King were above him, he had considerable skill for a man his age and climbed the ranks quickly. To have someone half his age speak to him in such a manner irritated him especially when that person had no official position in the military anymore.

Thanks to Alrick's new class structure, Rakat's old system of having the King's power be absolute and only their second was able to challenge them was now gone. Asger had fled the kingdom so he couldn't be King when Rakat died and that left Alrick who was the strongest at the time, the only one able to take the throne. Since the new monarch's change in government, Tulius has been elevated to power in exchange for serving faithfully.

Pride on the other hand, had been unofficially stripped of his rank. As he was Asger's lieutenant and was absent from the civil war, all the positions that were available thanks to the restructure were already filled before he returned. While the King held him in high regard and still treated him as if he was his second, the rest of the government had a hard time accepting the warrior. While the tales of his exploits were great and he had been completely loyal to Alrick, there was always the fear that he was in fact a spy for Asger as none of them had any idea where he went off to when he left the kingdom.

The numerous times they've sent men to accompany Pride, almost every time the men would return without the warrior or not at all. The reports that the few survivors that accompany the warrior told of them fighting Rakat's remnants with the young man yet he would continue to move without a care for the men who followed him. During the battles, he would disappear completely while they fought and when they finally pulled out, he would then engage the enemy alone.

The amount of men he would fight on his own was impossible for any normal human. Scores upon scores of bodies would litter the battlefield after he was done and when he returned, he didn't have one wound on his body. His clothes were generally reduced to tatters but underneath, his skin didn't have one mark on it. No one knew what to make of it, some thought that Pride was aligned with Rakat and they would stage his impossible victory to make him seem legendary. General Tulius was a believer of this rumor since he'd never seen the young man fight once.

There was also the manner of his upbringing.

He was born from that detestable wretch of a man Talib who had no respect for anything. Status, lives, or even human decency was a foreign concept to the late alchemist. The depravity of his research projects made even the most hardened warriors sick to their stomachs whenever they would learn of the man's true interests. The two sons that he had were both special in their own way.

Rahim, a traitor who mercilessly slaughtered three hundred families and the remainder of the Mystic Guard. Then there was Shahbaz, the pride of Blackdust's army, the man who had never been defeated as well as taken in by the King's second. Asger the Crusher was also a depraved human being who committed multiple atrocities.

With these three influences around him since he was a child, how could anyone trust a man like Shahbaz who changed his name to Pride?

Tulius just snorted and looked away with obvious disdain on his expression. He had no intention of answering the young man and missed the momentary dark look he got before a soldier answered instead.

"My lord, it was me and the surviving soldiers from Corona. While we were there, His Majesty ordered us to return to the capitol to send a message here that we found a massive holdout of Rakat's forces. As we waited for our King's return, the scouts from Corona brought this back. His Majesty King Frederick thought it would be prudent if we returned with this as soon as possible. We didn't have the manpower to search for the King so we returned here hoping to get more men."

"So what you're saying is the enemy sent this and you didn't see the King's body?"

"Uhh..n-no sir."

Pride nodded as he left the room without a word. The crowd looked at him while Lilian told the soldiers to seal the box and put it in his Majesty's study. They nodded and left to carry out her orders as she took a deep breath and lightly jogged out of the room.

She really didn't want to, she wouldn't have done so if it were anyone else but Alrick. Yet because it _was _Alrick, her soon to be father-in-law, she was trying to catch up to Pride to see what was on his mind. She could tell that something occurred to him in that brief exchange and if it was what she thought then it would be beneficial to speak with him.

Since he wasn't in too much of a hurry when he left the room, Lilian was able to catch up to him quite quickly. The young man still had his neutral expression on his face as he was heading towards the bottom of the castle.

"Wait, Pride!"

The young man's steps halted for a moment before he looked over his shoulder to see the woman that he wanted to kill not too long ago standing there. He could easily tell that she was apprehensive about being alone with him yet he could see that she wasn't here for herself. Before, it would've made him angry that she would speak to him but after what had happened recently, he found himself more tolerant.

_Well that isn't entirely true. _

While he was more tolerant of the women in front of him, he had a very short fuse for certain people. It was almost amusing if it wasn't downright infuriating.

"Yes?"

Seemingly emboldened by the lack of murderous intent that he usually radiated, the woman spoke. "You and I both know that if Rakat or Asger killed Alrick, they would parade his body around and let everyone know that he was dead. If he really found remnants of Rakat's army and was captured, it wouldn't be too farfetched to think that they might keep him alive."

"...yes you're right. Asger would want to prolong His Majesty's pain as much as possible. Sending his arm and weapon would definitely hurt the kingdom's morale and make a convincing case that he's dead but to me, it means that they have no desire of killing him for some time. "

Lilian agreed but couldn't keep the shiver that went down her back when Pride said that they would likely prolong his Majesty's pain. She had heard the cruel tales of Asger and wouldn't be surprised with the things he would do. When she considered all of that, she wanted to go out to Corona to find Alrick and bring him back as soon as possible, yet she couldn't just leave Blackdust. If their King was captured then it was paramount that their Prince return as soon as possible.

Pride examined her face and could see the myriad of expressions that crossed it and allowed him to gain some insight on what she was thinking. He could easily tell that she wanted to go out and find the King or perhaps find the Prince so they could go together looking for the missing monarch. He knew better though, if Alrick was really captured by the remnants of Rakat's forces, then they would surely be smart and move to a different location.

From what that messenger said, there were a lot of enemy combatants, such a force would be difficult to transport without being noticed. So if no large scale movement was reported in Corona then it would be safe to assume that they were still in the region but in a different part of it. The warrior quickly racked his brain for any history between Blackdust and Corona, any past invasion or trek across the terrain where Rakat would've made note of a good staging area for his army. If such a place existed then it would stand to reason that his remnants would use the area as a base. Nothing came to mind, but there were ways to find out.

In the meantime, he actually came back to Blackdust for a reason.

One that infuriated him but all the same…

His eyes slid over to Lilian who was still deep in thought.

_Perhaps it'll improve my current situation._

"Lilian, come with me."

The woman looked up in shock as the warrior turned around and walked in his original direction. She was stunned to hear her name come from his lips, as far back as she could remember, Pride _never _called her by her name. He always just gestured to her or formed his sentences in a way that she would no doubt he was speaking to her. That was assuming of course he didn't outright ignore her as he generally did. To have him ask her to come with him was a surprise and had her feet moving behind him, on guard for anything.

The pair walked silently down into the depths of the castle until they ended up in the lowest level of the castle. The young man pushed open the door and walked through it leaving Lilian in the hallway. The woman knew where they were and felt a chill go up her spine.

She was in front of Talib's laboratory.

When she found out that her father had died at the hands of the alchemist, she made it her personal goal to never come down here. She didn't want to see a strung up corpse of her father on one of the mad man's gurneys. She wanted to turn around so badly and forget that Pride had asked her to come down here but the man's voice carried out the door.

"Lilian if you wish to find out some information on Rakat as well as his remnants then you will have to come inside and help me sort through these reports."

Her eyes widened as she found her feet moving her into the room. Her mind was already racing with the possibility that if she found some clue in the alchemist's lab then she could find her King. As she walked through the doors, she reluctantly looked around and was surprised to find the lab was immaculate and well organized. There were shelves upon shelves of books that referenced many topics as well as several strung up skeletons that she didn't want to think who they belonged to.

Pride was sitting at one of the tables that had a large assortment of books and hand written reports all over. On the other side of the table was a stool that was across from him but thanks to a stack of books one could not see him if they sat on the stool. Taking a few timid steps, Lilian slowly and cautiously sat on the stool and peeked at the few reports that she could see from her position. Some referenced the human bodily functions in minute detail while others talked about the abilities that Elementals possessed. She even found a few detailed reports about specific subjects such as Maurice Raith, the one Elemental who attacked the Mystic Guard in Elysion.

She remembered his power well and thought he was a dangerous individual but Talib classified him as _insignificant. _The word made another chill go down her back as she imagined the myriad of methods that Talib would use to find out if someone was worth his time or not. Pushing the report away in disgust, she actively avoided any other reports that looked remotely the same as the one she just read.

"I need you to look over any letters addressed to Talib. If it's possible I want to find out if he had any contact with Corona. If someone corresponded with him then there is a chance that they could lead us to Alrick."

"How can you be so sure?"

_Because Talib is in league with Father!_

He wanted to say that outloud but his voice wouldn't respond to his command. He knew why, he figured it out on his way back to Blackdust. When he fought Father and Talib used _that _at the last moment that resulted in his defeat, it left him at the hands of the alchemist. His mind was muddled with foggy thoughts after he awakened, the only clear thought he could think of was obeying Father and a faint one that tried and failed to pierce the fog.

Would've continued to stay that way if he wasn't attacked by one of Rakat's remnants.

They cornered him in a forest and before he could tell them he was on their side, they attacked. At first, he tried to dodge their attacks while trying to get to them to stop which disgusted him. They attacked him and thus should be prepared to be killed, yet here he was trying to spare them. Fortunately, they never listened until one of them got a lucky shot and smashed him in the back of the head with a mace. The result was instantaneous and had him on the ground.

His mind was instantly brought into focus with that blow. He didn't know why but the faint thought in his head was his own voice telling him what had happened before his mind became cloudy. Talib and Father thought that he wasn't aware of what they were planning to do to his soul but they were wrong. When he got back to his feet, he slaughtered all of his opponents and wanted to return to face Father again while killing the alchemist but he couldn't force his body to fulfill his intentions.

All he had was a strong desire to return to Blackdust and retrieve the research materials that Talib had left behind. It infuriated him to no end that no matter how hard he fought, his body and soul would fight just as hard. So he found himself back home looking through these reports. As he traveled through, he found out that he could make small detours as long as he planned to do Father's bidding, which was why he asked Lilian to come with him.

He knew that Talib was always in contact with other kingdoms and if Lilian found out who then she could begin to squeeze them for the whereabouts of the missing King. If things really went his way, then she would kill the alchemist's contacts and would inconvenience the alchemist.

_Maybe she'll finally have a shot at getting her revenge._

With his blatant lack of care for the alchemist and his not so hostile attitude towards her, Pride hoped that she might feel that she could get away with killing the alchemist if she saw him again.

"I found something, it looks like he was asking about a metal with someone in Corona named Victor Zoloman."

Pride smiled behind the stacks of books that blocked him from view.

"Perhaps this Zoloman will have some insight on where Rakat's forces might be. After all he seems to be a local and should notice the movement of a large force. Plus if he was consorting with Talib, then I can guarantee then there is more than meets the eye with him."

* * *

After many tests, Zoloman and Varian finally had a working prototype for the metal that they were trying to create. They had smelted it and used it to create a broadsword that cut through the combination of steel and iron. The boy was quite excited as he began to come up with new designs for inventions for new metals while the older alchemist had already smelt the metal to create another weapon.

He held the completed product in his hand and was satisfied with it. The hilt was a foot and a half long, wrapped in a black cloth and had a spiked pommel with a crossguard that was a foot long. The blade was roughly five feet long and it made the whole weapon have considerable weight. The edge of the rectangle shaped blade was thinner than the trunk of the blade which made it possible to actually cut someone with it if they used enough force.

He had sent Varian home and told them that they would continue with their experiments tomorrow. After the boy had left, Victor went deeper into the underground cavern via a hidden entrance that was behind a fake wall of rock. Taking it down a long flight of stairs, he arrived at his destination which was a thick door that had iron bars on it.

Opening the door, he was instantly assaulted with the stench of blood and decayed human flesh. As he was used to the stench, he didn't recoil at the smell nor the sight of the badly beaten and barely conscious one armed man that was against the wall.

Alrick looked like hell, he had been stripped of all but his pants and was severely beaten. There were cuts all over his body as well as broken bones that stuck out yet didn't break the skin. His finger and toenails were all pulled out and his left ear was missing. Asger had his fun with the King then dropped him off with Zoloman to keep while he attended to other matters.

The alchemist barely came down here, he would leave a small water skin every other day and some bread every once in a while then would leave to carry out his duties. The isolation in addition to the beatings and starving had turned the King into a very docile prisoner. Victor expected him to die sooner but the man had held on to his life somehow.

He wasn't restrained in any way, hell the door wasn't even locked. Zoloman didn't care at all if the prisoner escaped. Father had dropped him off to babysit him but Victor had bigger things to worry about. He would've left the King in the middle of the street but the men that Asger left in case Alrick tried to escape would report that to Father and Victor didn't want another setback.

"You really stepped in it didn't you Alrick? All the planning that Father had was a setback years because you had to grow a conscience. Your little rebellion was amusing to be sure but unfortunately it has made Father act illogically and made life harder for me…"

The alchemist walked over and grabbed the King by the head and turned him so that he could look him in the eye. "...How easy it would be for me to just kill you now and put an end to all of this idiocy. Unfortunately with the way things are going, it would make more sense to keep you alive. The other versions of me are now under more scrutiny than ever before. When Father sent those men to kill the me in Blackdust, that proved what we all thought. He's almost ready to carry out his plan. Which means that we need to be ready for our plan yet thanks to _you _we were delayed."

Victor was disgusted to see the blank expression on the King's face as he dropped his head and raised the sword he had in hand. "Asger took your arm out of a misguided attempt to have fun, I'll take your leg to ensure that you will no longer be a threat anymore."

With that, Zoloman swung with every intention of cutting off Alrick's right leg, yet an impossible reaction from the King had him on the ground with a sharp bone embedded in his neck. The King was on his feet, the broken legs that were covered in pants were off to the side which revealed that his real legs were just fine. He was heavily breathing but the fierce look in his eye was strong as he stalked over to the alchemist who was grasping his throat and gurgling the blood that filled his mouth.

"...I buried you the first time, I'm not doing it twice…"

Alrick left the man to die while picking up the executioner's sword that laid next to the dying man. The King knew that he weak from his torture but he knew how to fight through the pain. As for hunger…the surrounding body parts were not too old so he wouldn't be too sick to move.

He already guessed that there would be men waiting for him when he went up the stairs. His jailer shouldn't let it slip that he wasn't to be killed, which meant he could really let loose. With a pained groan, Alrick hefted the sword on his remaining shoulder and made his way out of his prison.

* * *

Elsa wanted to go home but Edward had stubbornly refused and kept stringing her along behind him as he walked through the village. After she had calmed down from sobbing earlier, she told him that she wanted to return to the castle to get to work but the young man refused to let her do so. She wanted to argue but all the strength she had for the day had been sucked out of her and left her just wanting to die in her bed.

So she allowed herself to be pulled to wherever the young man had planned to lead her.

After a while of walking, Elsa began to notice that they were around the docks and could hear the sound of music playing. The sound continued to grow louder before, the two of them turned the corner and saw that along the harbor were people dancing and partying. The blonde was stunned to see the people and was about to ask what was going on but Edward was already pulling her through the crowd.

Thanks to her disguise, no one noticed the Queen brushing elbows with them as the young man pushed through the crowd. His firm grip on her hand was the only thing that kept them together as Elsa would've been lost by the sea of people. It was jarring to see so many smiling faces when just earlier today, she had been met with negative ones. To be honest, she was really down and upset with what happened earlier which made her want to be alone.

Yet it seemed Edward had vastly different plans than hers.

"Why if it isn't Young Edward! How are you doing, my boy?!"

The blonde was surprised by the loud voice that was just ahead of them as she squeeze past a couple to stand next to the young man who was greeting the harbormaster, Mr. Jorgen.

"I'm doing fine, just wanted to take you up on your offer to come out and have fun during your celebration."

The old man laughed as he walked up to Edward and heartedly patted him on the shoulder. It was then that Elsa could smell the rum that lightly hung off the man. It wrinkled her nose with its strong stench that repulsed her. She looked up to her companion and could see no signs of discomfort despite her knowing that his senses were far sharper than hers.

"Well you are always welcomed to do so, you were a model worker and I will always wish I had another like you. Just keep in mind that if you need a job, all you have to do is ask! My door will always be open for you, my boy."

"Thank you sir but I found a very compelling reason to continue training the Royal Guard. If Her Majesty will have me, I can't see myself ever leaving even when the guards are up to snuff." Elsa's eyes shot up to Edward who kept an easy smile on his face as he faced the harbormaster and made no attempt to bring any attention toward her. While she had known that they had taken their relationship to the next level, recent events made her unsure of the good things in her life.

Hector's concern earlier was right on the money. She began to question every decision she made and wondered if she really has been a good Queen or have the council just hid more secrets from her. She wondered if the people really did like her or were they just paid to smile and wave back at her. Being surrounded by so many of her subjects who may have hated after being kicked out by one that definitely did, made her want to run away to her ice palace which represented her desire to run from her problems.

"Defending Queen Elsa is a noble calling. You continue to make me prouder and prouder, if only more young men had your sense then the world would be a much better place. Our Queen has definitely made a difference in all our lives and has earned the love of Arendelle. I pity the fool who decides they want to mess with our Queen!"

Elsa had a small smile on her face as she listened to the harbormaster, it was nice to hear that someone had a high opinion of her.

"Well I don't. If anyone tries to get to her, they'll have to go through me. But that's a conversation for another day. Anyway, I wanted to introduce you to my friend here." Edward put an arm around Elsa's shoulders and brought him close to him as he spoke.

"This is Crystal, she's new to Arendelle and she's been down in the dumps lately so I thought i would bring her out here to have some fun." Mr. Jorgen leaned in to see under the bonnet that hid the woman's face but the closer he got, the more she would dip her head as she tried to hide. He finally gave up and brought his eyes back to Edward.

"She's a shy little thing."

"You can say that again. Hopefully I'll be able to loosen her up during this party tonight. "

The harbormaster beamed as he clapped the couple on the shoulders. "Then I wish you luck my young friend! Now if you'll excuse me, I need to check on our stocks. Can't be running out of alcohol when the night's just started!"

The old man waved them goodbye as he stalked off into the crowd. Elsa was about to ask if they could leave when Edward once again pulled her in another direction. As they moved through the crowds once again, the young man led them to the source of the music where there were people playing instruments in the streets. Around them were other people dancing along with the lively music that was playing.

Before she could object, Edward whisked her off her feet and put her head into the middle of the people dancing then started to whirl her around keeping rhythm with the music. Elsa had no choice but to dance with him as the song began to get even more lively as more people joined. As she got caught up in all the people around her with smiling faces, she kept thinking of the woman with her child that lost a husband due to the Queen's lack of control.

The dour look on her face made the young man frown as he abruptly disengaged from the dance and whisked Elsa away once again. The blonde was starting to lose her patience at being dragged off behind the man and when she saw an alleyway, she gave him a harsh tug as they both went down it. The space between the two buildings made it somewhat a tight fit but the two of them were able to look at one another in the eyes with some space between them.

Elsa's face mirrored annoyance while Edward's was the picture of patience.

"Edward, I appreciate you coming after me but I just want to go back to my room."

"So you can blame yourself and try to hide again? No, I don't think so."

"It's already been a long day, I just want to rest."

The man's face took on a disbelieving look as she stared at him. When he didn't change his expression, the woman huffed before attempting to leave him behind. Yet as soon as she turned around he was right there with his arms crossed. She mentally cursed his newfound speed as she crossed her arms and looked away in annoyance.

Edward could easily tell what was on the blonde's mind. With what she learned today, she didn't want to be around people who potentially hated her. She wanted to be alone for a while and get her head on straight which didn't bother him. What bothered him was that he could tell that she had serious doubts that her people liked her and it would continue to haunt her unless something was done. He thought that he could take her out for a night of fun but was already failing miserably.

_It's time to change tactics._

"Alright, we can go back to the castle."

Elsa still faced away from him but her eyes slid over to him with a disbelieving look of her own. Any other time, he would've found the expression to be adorable but for now, he had other more pressing thoughts in his head.

"I mean it, if you really want to go back to the castle then I won't stop you. But...there is one place that I want to take you, you go with me there and we'll do whatever you want."

The blonde considered his offer and took a moment to see the earnest look in his eyes that made it really hard to say no. She would've held out longer if he hadn't held her while she put herself back together.

"Fine, _one _more place then back to the castle."

Edward nodded and led her out the alleyway and away from the loud music. The two of them passed by a few people that were on their way to the party. It didn't take too long before they were in front of a local hospital. The blonde had a confused expression as to why they were here but the young man was already leading her through the doors and down the hallways.

After navigating a few hallways, they came upon a closed door, Edward stood to the side and gestured to it. Elsa looked at him for a moment before placing her hand on the door handle and walking inside. As she entered the room, the sound seemed to alert the patient inside who was reading a book by candlelight.

It was a little girl, probably ten years old. Her brown hair was in small pigtails on the sides of her head. Her grey eyes were a little dull but she had some life in them as she looked up to see a woman in her room.

"Hello, is it time for my medicine again?"

Her voice sounded somewhat weak but the smile on her face showed that she was in good spirits. Elsa didn't know what to say, she had no idea why Edward wanted to bring her here. From the signs in the hospital, the patients in this wing didn't have any contagious illnesses so it was fine to approach them, yet with recent events, the blonde stayed where she was.

"Um...no, I'm not here to give you medicine."

"Oh, then are you a friend of my big brother?"

"Who's your big brother?"

The little girl's face lit up as she seemed to be excited about talking about him. "His name is Cameron and he's a member of the Royal Guard!"

Memories of the young guard blurred in her mind as she instantly remembered all the times he spoke about his sick little sister. Cameron had said that she had a weak constitution and that with the medical care Elsa had implemented she was getting better. He was always thankful to the monarch for helping his little sister and the blonde felt really good that she was making a difference in someone's life.

Seeing the little girl's smile had the blonde sitting in the stool next to her.

"Oh he is, is he? Does he visit and tell you about what he does?"

"All the time! He tells me that he is learning to protect Queen Elsa! He also said that it was thanks to her that I'll get better!" The little girl began to talk excitedly before a coughing fit had her stop. The blonde looked to the side and saw a pitcher of water and a cup which she filled then gave it to the patient. The little girl gratefully accepted it and gulped it down.

"Thank you, the doctor said that I shouldn't get too excited but I can't help it."

Elsa could definitely relate. Anna was always so excitable and would only continue to ramp herself up unless something stopped her.

"It's ok, we're talking about your brother. It's only natural you're really happy to talk about him."

"Do you know him?"

"I do, he's a really nice man and a very good guard."

"Then can you tell me where he is? He visits me everyday but it's almost time for bed and I haven't seen him yet."

Elsa froze as she remembered last night's attack. Cameron was in no danger but he needed to be confined to the infirmary for the time being. The blonde didn't want to worry the little girl but from the look on her face, she already seemed to think that something was wrong. Fortunately, Edward chose that time to walk in.

"Eddy! You're here!"

The young man walked over before giving the little girl a hug before sitting down next to Elsa. "How are you doing today Lina?"

"I'm doing ok, the doctor said I'll be able to go outside for walks tomorrow."

"Is that so, then maybe when you do, I'll show you around the castle."

"Will I be able to meet Queen Elsa?" The woman noticed the twinkle in the little girl's eyes as she asked the question. Edward of course noticed and got up before walking around the room with a faux deep thinking expression on his face.

"hmm...I don't know, the Queen is awfully busy all the time. You know with all the good she does for the people of Arendelle, she might not have any time for a break. I'm sure she would love to meet you but I don't know…"

Elsa wanted to deny that statement and say she would always make time for her people but Lina cut her off. "That's ok, if the Queen is really that busy then I know it's for a good reason. Before the doctors said that I would never be able to get better but thanks to her, I can actually walk around the hospital. She also helped my friends in the orphanage go to school and gave many people jobs! I also heard that she is the most beautiful woman in the world and that she can make it snow whenever she wants!"

Edward sat back down with a knowing expression as he noticed Elsa's taken aback look on her face. "Seems like you really idolize her. But you know she's only one person right, she may be able to do all those amazing things but even she has limits."

"That's why she has you and Cameron to help her! Whenever she feels like everything is too much, she can rely on the two of you to help her. Even if she isn't sure what she's doing, she has people right there to help her make her decisions so she can never be alone."

Elsa watched the young man laugh before poking her head saying that she was so smart. The blonde lowered her head as she listened to the little girl speak. Earlier today, all she could think about were the lives that she had hurt and thought that maybe she wasn't right to be Queen. Meeting Lina and seeing that this little girl had faith in her was comforting, to know that she made a difference in this little girl's life made a tear fall down her cheek.

"Hey lady, what's wrong, why are you crying?"

The blonde looked up with a smile as another tear ran down her cheek. "It's nothing Lina, you're brother is in the castle right now. Last night there was a bad person and your brother helped stop them, he's ok but the doctors want him to stay the night. You should be proud, Cameron was a real hero last night."

Edward joined in next to Elsa. "It's true, I was there and saw what he did. Things would've been really bad if it wasn't for him, I saw this morning and he was still sleeping but he was ok."

Lina's eyes beamed even more to hear her brother was a hero but her smile waned as she imagined him being hurt. "That's why he didn't visit, because a bad guy hurt him. At least he's ok but I wish I could see him…"

"You can."

Edward and Lina both turned to Elsa who had a determined look on her face. "Tomorrow morning, we'll pick you up and take you to the castle where you can see your brother."

The little girl's eyes lit up as she looked at the woman. "Really?!"

"Mmhm, and that's not all...you'll also get to meet Queen Elsa."

The way her mouth opened really wide reminded the blonde of Olaf whenever he got really happy. It looked like someone had just promised the little girl she could have any wish she wanted granted. Lina turned to Edward and pointed at him.

"In your face, Eddy! You said that she would be busy but tomorrow I'll get to meet her!"

The young man held up his hands in surrender as a nurse called out down the hallway that it was bedtime. The couple thought it would be a challenge to convince the little girl to go to bed but she was already under the covers, ready for it to be morning. Edward walked over and told her that he would be back here tomorrow morning after breakfast to pick her up. Lina nodded excitedly as the two adults prepared to leave the room, before they could leave the little girl spoke up.

"Um, excuse me lady. I don't know your name."

Elsa looked back at the little girl and walked over to her side of the bed. She placed a hand on the night table next to her before leaning down to whisper in the little girl's ear. "Close your eyes and when you hear the door close look next to you."

Lina looked confused for a moment but after an encouraging look from the blonde, she closed her eyes. The little girl strained her ears for a moment waiting for the sound of the door closing.

"Remember, no peeking."

Lina giggled but kept her eyes closed and when she finally heard the door close, she opened her eyes and looked on the night table. On the table was a small ice sculpture that was an exact replica of her big brother in his guard uniform. He was saluting with his sword on his waist and a smile on his face.

The little girl gasped excitedly as she took in the sculpture before hurrying back under the covers trying to go to sleep as fast as possible.

* * *

Outside the hospital, Edward placed his hands in his pockets and sighed. He had left Elsa alone with Lina when she asked what the woman's name was. He was hopeful that meeting the little girl would lift the woman's spirits but all the same he was worried that she would still be down and he had promised to do what she wanted after.

When he heard the sound of her footsteps, he turned and was happy to see that she had a smile on her face. After the day she had, he was glad to see the beautiful sight once again.

"Alright, a deal's a deal. I'll take you back to the castle."

Elsa sauntered up to him and poked him in the chest with an impish grin.

"That wasn't the deal, the deal was, we do whatever I want. And...I want to go back to the harbor, Mr. Jorgen did say the party was only starting. We'll stay for a while but we _will _be up early tomorrow morning to pick up Lina, got it."

Edward chuckled as he made an exaggerated bow. "Your wish is my command Your Majesty."

"I'm not the Queen tonight Edward, so just call my _Crystal_, I'll show you how shy I am tonight."

* * *

**What up guys, another chapter finished and we finally get to meet Lina. I hope you all enjoyed that, I was debating on when to introduce her and she just came to me like an hour before I finished this chapter. Anyway, also hope ya'll enjoyed the other point of views in Blackdust and Corona. Either the next chapter or chapter 54 will be a lemon, trying to space them out and make them pivotal for the fanfic instead of just plain smut you know. The first one was on ch 27 so i thought why not make it another 27 and the last one be on chapter like 71. We'll see anyway leave a review or pm me if you wish to contact me. I'll try to have another chapter up next week so stay tuned.**


	53. Chapter 53

**Shoutout to gamersubice for the favorite.**

**In response to the review left by the visiter:** **thank you for your kind words and I'm glad to hear you are enjoy the filler portions. I try to keep the story progressively moving toward the endgame but I would also like to further develop the relationships between characters and give them meaningful parts in this story. **

**In response to the review left by my loyal guest:** **thank you for your thoughtful and well throughout feedback. To be honest, the reason the chapter is so long is because last chapter admittedly didn't get the point I wanted across and thus I felt that this one needed to do so. While I agree that Lina was not enough to cheer Elsa up and planned on having her lose it in Edward's room, your constructive feedback had me address some points that I left out in the previous chapter. As for Elsa's out of character aspect last chapter, I wrote that wrong. I wanted there to be some doubt that she was ok and debated on having Mr. Jorgen say something about it but decided to go a different way as I wrote this. Hopefully this chapter more accurately ties in to the last chapter and addresses all the holes that was left in the other one. Please continue to completely honest in your review as it hopefully has made this chapter a cut above the rest given its length that hopefully conveys the right emotions that I want the reader to see in my fanfiction.**

* * *

Getting out of his cell and going up the stairway then out the false wall was the easy part. The difficult task that lay ahead of him. Not long after he went through the wall and came upon a laboratory of some kind, he could hear the voices of others nearby. The monarch in him that wished for peace and cooperation wanted to reveal himself and ask for assistance.

However, after recent events, that side of him was gone for the moment. What replaced it was the cold, calculating, ruthless warrior that left nothing but agony in his wake. Even with one arm and after being thoroughly beaten, all it did was make him focus even more. So much more focused as he hid in the dark corners of the underground cavern, he was able to see the other occupants before they could see him.

There were three of them; average height and build, a sword and pistol each, dressed in the same uniform as the men who killed his soldiers. Under normal circumstances, he would've just walked over and took them down but the situation called for stealth and finesse rather than brutish methods.

He looked around the cavern to see what he had to work with. There were tables set up with research notes as well as a furnace to likely smelt weapons. The clutter of opened reports and strewn around papers resembled Talib's lab back in Blackdust while it was still active. Combining that with the man that had been checking on him recently, Alrick began to get a disturbing picture in his head that Talib wasn't what he seemed.

_And here I was thinking a deranged, psychopathic, sociopathic depraved man of science was bad…_

The King pushed that out of his mind for a later date and took a second look on the tables. Reports and papers were useless in this situation, both as weapons and a means of being distractions. The boxes next to the furnace that had a long handle sticking out of it looked promising. Glancing at the men who were at the front of the cavern, Alrick snuck around the room using the tables as cover when it was safe.

All the while, he scanned the reports to get a sense of what this hidden lab was being used for.

The reports referenced different metals and methods of combining them as well as the result of the many trials that were listed. Not too interesting but it explained the furnace. As he continued to sneak around, he glanced on one single piece of parchment that seemed out of place. Fortunately it was at the last table closest to the furnace so he could remain hidden as he read it.

Carefully, he ducked under the table and slipped the parchment off the top and brought it down for him to read. The first thing that stood out was that it was a letter addressed to a Victor Zoloman. The name didn't mean anything to the King so initially, he doubted that this letter was any important. All the same, he continued to read out of curiosity that he knew was unnecessary for this particular situation.

_Victor Zoloman._

_I trust that your efforts have yielded the promised results and that you will be ready to execute your part of the plan on schedule. Mr. Lind as well as Sylvester have both been successful in integrating themselves in Weselton and the Northern Isles, which gives us access to information from the two kingdoms. The Northern Isles is not a concern, however Weselton has sent troops to the Southern Isles, to join the invasionary force that will march on Arendelle…_

Alrick's breath hitched as he reread the last line a few times. When he was sure he wasn't mistaken, his mind completely forgot about his current surroundings and racked itself thinking about Arendelle. Tactically speaking, the only way that a large force could come to Arendelle, especially from the Southern Isles, would be by sea which Elsa could just freeze the ocean so they wouldn't be able to get in close. It greatly lessened the risk of an effective attack which should have reassured him.

In reality though, it worried him more.

Alrick has heard about the stories of the Snow Queen, everyone has. Even if they had no idea what an Elemental was capable of as he knew, they would know that if she was able to freeze her entire kingdom, then freezing the sea which was the only way to feasibly transport a large force would be child's play.

Even if they tried coming in from the mountains surrounding the village, that was an even worse idea. The mountains in Arendelle were high and were almost always snowing. If she caught wind of a force moving through them, she could up the intensity of the blizzards and let them freeze to death out there. Her powers were a large deterrent but the geography of Arendelle, made it almost foolish to attack.

Any rational person would realize this yet, this man seemed to want to attack Arendelle. He referenced a plan of some sort as well as implied having a spy in the Northern Isles and Weselton which alluded that this was a very ambitious and large scale plan. If he was capable of thinking of a plan that required spies in two kingdoms that were enemies, then he had to have a rational plan to deal with Elsa.

What that plan was, Alrick had no idea so he continued reading.

_...Garret who has kept an eye on the Queen has given us the scope of her abilities and expects that while she may be dangerous, she is still unskilled with the combat use of her abilities. The geographical terrain certainly gives her the advantage and will allow her to either hunker down her capitol or simply stave off any large scale invasion. As such, I have been given leave to deploy the prototypes to deal with her. I've already sent two ahead and they will advise the others on the situation and will determine the best course to remove the threat the Queen represents. Talib has fashioned us two more sets of the magic sealing shackles he created and the pair from Arendelle has been recovered. We are to capture her alive if possible, however if she proves to be too difficult to capture then killing her is authorized. The date of the invasion has been set ten days after Weselton forces have set out to rendezvous with the Southern Isles. King Hans will be leading all our forces to avoid suspicion, even if he fails in his bid to take over Arendelle, we will still have what we need. _

The King narrowed his eyes in annoyance as he realized that the letter did not specifically say how the enemy planned to deal with the Queen. Only that some weapon had been sent ahead already and that there were more lying in wait. From the wording of whoever wrote this, it seemed that they weren't the one in charge of the operation. Someone was pulling the strings and they were able to use a King with a grudge to conceal their hand. This proved that there was a powerful player in this whole mess but unfortunately, Alrick had no clue who could they be.

Irritated by the development, he decided to consider it later after escaping his current predicament. The men were still at the front of the cavern but he didn't know how long that would last. With some newfound difficulty that was caused by him now being one handed, Alrick slowly with frustration began to fold the letter. Doing so required him to actively look at his one hand to fold it in between his fingers.

Frustration crossed his features as he used every finger but his thumb to fold it vertically once then turned it to do so again. He didn't want to risk the letter falling out of his pockets or being discovered by the enemy, so he wanted to fold it as small as possible so it would fit as deep as possible in his pocket. The simple act of folding paper was so trivial before when he had two hands but now with one, it required a bit more focus that was ridiculous to him…

...until he noticed there was some writing on the back.

He already folded the parchment twice so he could only see half of the lettering that was at the bottom of the letter. Quickly unfolding it once and squinting his eyes at the wording, he crushed the letter in his hand when he knew what it said.

_Fight until the ground becomes shrouded in black dust from the ruins of our enemies._

He _knew _that line, he _hated _that line.

It used to be his kingdom's creed that was formed by the first King of Blackdust, Abraham the Sinful. According to their history, Abraham was a demon among men who engaged in every sin known to man. From raping to killing, there was nothing he wouldn't do. Over time, he gathered himself a following of depraved souls who fought for the promise of having everything they wanted. They fought and burned any who stood in their path before finally the world over wanted them destroyed. After countless battles, Abraham finally crossed the great seas with his men before settling on a desert island, then built a home for himself.

Realizing that there was no way to take on the entire world, Abraham sent his men out into small groups to each kingdom to undermine them from the inside. He learned their weapon secrets, troop training procedures, geography, any scrap on information he could use to get an advantage over them. The process took years, all the while the world searched for their hiding place.

As the years went by and the world forgot about Abraham and believing he had died of unknown causes, one kingdom had found them. The scouts hurried back to their kingdom to report that they had found the enemy.

The night before the King could tell his allies and organize a strike against Abraham, their capitol burned.

There were no survivors; men, women, and children alike were reduced to ashes at the sudden attack. There was no warning, an army just appeared at the kingdom's front gates as if it was magic. The battle was savage and too many had lost their lives. The royal family were all gone as well as anyone who knew where Abraham was hiding.

By the time the allies of the kingdom as well as the rest of its army arrived, there was nothing left but ash. Every building, person, and document was all reduced to ash. There was no way to identify who attacked, the only sign was the ash that remained.

The trend continued, any who would find where Abraham was had their kingdom completely wiped away, with no trace. Priding himself on the fear that ran rampant throughout the world, he named his kingdom Blackdust so that his followers would never forget what was expected from them whenever they fought. After establishing himself as King, Abraham decided that his time was coming to an end so tried to have a family and produce a son who would succeed him.

His second in command didn't appreciate the sentiment, so they murdered his family before fighting the King one on one then taking the throne for himself. The followers were split between those loyal to Abraham and the new King and infighting ravaged Blackdust. Finally, they decided that the strongest shall rule with absolute power and could only be challenged by their second in fair combat.

Those governing laws were what made Blackdust the kingdom it was before Alrick to control and tried changing it. The history was known by all however the creed was not so commonly known. There was only one time the creed was ever spoken in Blackdust.

When the King died on the blade of his second.

Alrick remembered impaling Rakat and the King's final words were the creed. At the time, it didn't mean squat to the new King, just ramblings of a dead tyrant, but as Alrick tried to restore order to his kingdom, he was met by heavy resistance to men who embodied those words. They were willing to fight him until Blackdust itself was reduced to black dust on the ground. A soldier's loyalty was to his home and the people who lived there, willing to sacrifice one's home to destroy an enemy was self-serving and brought shame to the army one fought in.

As such, he began to hate those words and swore that he would not have such a mindset be acceptable to his men.

Seeing them written down on a letter addressed to someone who wasn't even in Blackdust was disturbing. To write it down would mean that Zoloman knew what it meant. Alrick would've thought it was impossible if not for the fact that Talib and Victor looked the exact same and his captor had said 'other versions of me' which meant there was more than one Talib.

It made his head hurt to think about the depraved man, he remembered first meeting him all those years ago and looking back, it just now occurred to him that the alchemist never aged a day.

_Everyone always called him a monster, they had no idea how right they were…_

Rakat had favored Talib so it could be possible that the late King told the alchemist of the creed, yet Alrick's gut didn't buy it. He felt that there was something bigger at play here. Perhaps he shouldn't have killed his jailer but there was no taking it back now unless…

The sound of a flintlock being primed came before something hard was pressed to his head.

"Where do you think you're going, traitor?"

Alrick growled, he was getting _real _tired of people calling him a traitor to his home.

* * *

After speaking with Lina, Edward and Elsa had returned to the harbor to find that not only had the party not died down, it had begun to pick up greatly. The music was louder and people were bumping into one another covered in the stench of alcohol as they very poorly danced with one another. That made it slightly difficult for the seemingly only two sober participants to get through to the tables that were set outside.

Once they had claimed a table, Edward had volunteered to brave the sea of intoxicated Arendellians to fetch his darling _Crystal _a drink. He met some resistance in the form of a girl or two asking him for a dance which he politely denied the first one and grabbed a random guy to dance with the second. Making it to the impromptu bar that was set up outside, he walked up to the bartender then asked for two pints.

While the man went to grab his drinks, it allowed the young man a moment to think about the blonde. He was worried that she would still be down about what happened to those families and he hoped that Lina's presence would lift her spirits. It was heartwarming to see the little girl and the blonde talk and even more so when Elsa returned with a smile on her face then wished to join the party.

It made him giddy inside that she was feeling better and he wanted to have a little fun to take her mind off recent events. It was strange, the night before, he was literally fighting who he used to be and had died before coming back to life. It still felt like a dream to him, yet when he concentrated, the black dust that responded to him confirmed it wasn't. Rahim's soul echo was absolutely dense with black dust which made absorbing him a rejuvenating experience.

The amount he had now wasn't massive but it was more than what he had for a long time. He could probably fight at an enhanced level for some time, maybe even tap into Wrath's physical form for a time. Speaking of whom, the demon had still remained silent after what happened and the young man still wanted to give him some time to process what he went through. Edward figured that the Sin would speak when he was ready to explore the new opportunities they had now, until then, the young man would just continue to do what he was doing.

The bartender returned with the pints which Edward paid and thanked him for before crossing into the forest of happy drinkers. Emerging from the other side victorious and with their drinks in hand, he was about to offer one to Elsa when he noticed that someone was already talking to her.

The man was larger than him and had an impressive physique, red shaggy hair, green eyes, strong jaw, and a signature smile that probably made him a hit with the ladies. He had one arm propped on the table as he leaned over to speak with the blonde who Edward couldn't see thanks to the man blocking her from view.

Edward's first emotion was typical, a feeling of possessiveness and jealousy washed over him as he wished to storm his way over and tell the guy to back off. Which immediately triggered the logical part of his brain to tell him that he couldn't get jealous in public. Elsa was a Queen and officially he had no claim over her as she was expected for Arendelle's benefit. The both of them had agreed that in public they were to remain professional so it wouldn't make life harder for-

_Wait…_

Edward made a quick ressassement of the situation. The man in front of Elsa had definitely been drinking as evident by the way he subtly swayed as he moved. The blonde was wearing a pretty decent disguise and even if someone recognized her, they would likely be drinking and would chalk it up to the alcohol messing with them when they sobered up. Finally Elsa had for the night, agreed to remain Crystal so no one would be aware that the Queen was partying on the docks…

...which made it ok for him to be possessive since the Queen wasn't here.

A grin that mirrored Wrath's fanged one, appeared on Edward's face as he walked over. He could actually be possessive for once! The myriad of petty and completely unnecessary thoughts on how to dispel the man making a move on the blonde made him excited as Olaf as he debated on which one to act on.

_Knocking those perfect teeth down his throat? Too violent._

_Throwing him into the harbor? Too much work._

_Roaring in his face? Too loud._

_Turning into Wrath? Good opportunity for some practice but no, uncalled for._

He was still undecided as he appeared behind the man then silently set down the drinks, still too occupied with debating on what he wanted to do to actually listen to what the man was saying. Finally deciding to play it by ear, Edward schooled his face into a neutral expression before tapping the man on his shoulder. The redhead didn't even turn around to respond.

"Buzz off, I'm busy pal."

_Oh boy...this is going to be __**so **__fun. _

With an ear splitting grin on the inside yet a calm facade on the outside, Edward firmly grabbed the man's shoulder and spun him around. This angered the man who opened his mouth to berate the guy in front of him. The young man already knew it was coming and was actively trying to hold his grin in. He slid his eyes over to where Elsa was sitting so that he could send her a somewhat sincere apology for what he was about to do when he saw that a brunette was sitting there.

Instantly, his jovial disposition shattered as panic rose in his throat, Elsa was _gone_! He knew this was the table she was sitting at earlier and she knew that he would be right back so she wouldn't have wandered off too far. Whipping his head side to side frantically searching for any sign on the small blonde made the man in front of him grow irritable that he was being ignored and he reached his hand out to grab the young man by the collar.

"Hey buddy! Look at me when I'm talk-"

The table broke from the man landing on it as Edward speed walked away.

He dove back into the crowd with restlessness as he tried to keep his shoves gentle yet firm but the frequent complaints that sounded behind him showed that he failed. The table the two had wasn't that far away from the bar and he wasn't gone that long, which meant the blond couldn't have gone that far. That was what the logical part of his mind told him but the panicked part of his mind was now in control. It thought of worse case scenarios like Rahim had kidnapped her and was killing her at this very moment.

He ruled that possibility out as the warrior was dead and his appearance last night was handled by the young man. Unfortunately when that one scenario was dismissed, another one popped up instantly. He remembered seeing Talib at Anna and Kristoff's wedding, he searched for the man for days and came up with nothing. Elsa said that she would look into it but she hadn't mentioned him so he assumed she found nothing. He really didn't want to, but his mind considered the possibility that the alchemist had captured her and was now _evaluating _her.

That made Edward move faster.

He had already seen the results of the alchemist evaluating an Elemental and if Elsa didn't meet the psycho's standards, then she'd be disposed of.

He shoved his way right through a dancing couple to see a familiar bonnet sitting at a table. He made a beeline over, not letting anything break his stride and when he finally got to the table, he heard his name being called.

"Well if it isn't my Young Edward!"

The mentioned man ears tracked the voice to the other side of the table where his eyes slid over to and saw Mr. Jorgen sitting there with a happy smile on his face. In front of him was a tray that housed a numerous amount of tiny cups each filled with a clear liquid. Somehow seeing the old man calmed Edward down as he observed the cups and noticed a few were already empty. He could smell that the harbormaster had drank some from the scent of the man's breath but there was a hint of it diverging away from the old man to the woman right in front of him.

Plucking the bonnet off the woman's head, Edward almost dropped into the seat next to him in relief when Elsa covered her head with one arm and tried to snatch her bonnet back.

"Edward, give that back right now!"

The young man ignored her hiss and simply wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her in for a hug. She looked confused for a moment while Mr. Jorgen let out a hearty laugh.

"The lad was worried his lass had wandered off into a spot of trouble! Or maybe...he was afraid she found a man to entertain her, luckily for him, my days of wooing women are long behind me!"

Edward let go of the blonde and calmed his beating heart before shooting the harbormaster a grin. "What are you talking about, you're still quite the catch, Jorgen."

The old man laughed again before taking a cup in hand easily drinking it as if it was water. "You should've seen me back in my youth, I had everyone dancing around in the palm of my hand. It was fun but after doing it for so long, you get bored pretty quickly. But enough of that…"

Mr. Jorgen leaned over and pointed at the blonde with a conspiratory smirk on his face. "Is she the one you gave the necklace to? You know the one you spent so much time on carving with your hands?"

Elsa debated on if she should or not but she found herself digging for the necklace and taking it out to look at it closely. It was still one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen and it meant so much to her. She knew that it was a custom order as there was no way that anyone else besides Edward could think of the design.

What she didn't know was that he had hand carved it, likely with Wrath's claws as she could make out the gouges when she examined it closely.

That made its value instantly double in her eyes as she looked up to see the young man blushing then looking away. Mr. Jorgen on the other hand, was trying and failing to hide his victorious grin at being right. Edward had probably left out that little detail and just gifted her the necklace, a noble gesture but the old man knew that with women, it helped to be meaningful.

"Oh so it is!? You know lass, before he could decide on it, he was traveling all over Arendelle looking for a gift. He told me that he visited _every _shop in Arendelle and couldn't find anything that was worthy of a gem such as yourself. His exact words, I assure you."

The young man shot the old one a look who had his thumbs up when the blonde had her back turned to him. While it warmed Edward's heart to see Elsa's eyes twinkle at him as she held the necklace, he was still quite embarrassed that Mr. Jorgen felt that he needed help so the old man was trying to offer his assistance with the blonde.

_Even if it seems to be working perfectly._

"I...just wanted it to be special..."

It came out as a mumble but the two of them heard it and the woman took one of his hands in hers with a firm grip. "It is, it's really special to me."

Edward smiled at the sincere tone and likely would've kissed her if the two of them were alone. However with Mr. Jorgen right there, he restrained himself in case the old man had realized that it was Queen Elsa right in front of him. So far, it seemed that he hadn't and that was probably thanks to the alcohol in his system as well as the additional amount that he kept drinking every so often.

The old man took another shot once again before speaking again. "You know lass, you really know how to pick em, Edward here is one of the best young men I've ever known but sometimes, I want to smack him over the head to get him to focus!"

She giggled as she remembered Stonewell having a similar opinion. "You aren't the first to say so."

"Should've seen him the first day he worked for me, what an eye opener that was."

The young man had been on the side, still embarrassed on how they were talking about him and keeping out of the conversation yet still listening. When they started talking about his first day at work, he instantly perked up and tried to intervene.

"Ok...how about we talk about something else…"

Elsa looked intrigued while Mr. Jorgen had a wider grin on his face. In his opinion the story wasn't anything bad, it just really showed what kind of person Edward was. The young man likely didn't want the story told because of the woman in front of him might have found it funny which it was, but it also showed that she had someone special.

"What happened?" The blonde had a genuinely curious expression on her face and it seemed that she wanted to know. The harbormaster would normally just tell her but he recalled his interaction with them earlier and had an idea.

"I would love to tell you lass but it seems Young Edward here would rather I not. Do I answer the wishes of a beautiful lass or a hardworking man who was under my employ? Such a hard decision…" Mr. Jorgen took a faux pensive expression that Edward saw through in an instant. After a moment of rubbing his chin, the old man snapped his fingers when something occurred to him.

"I got it! I'll leave it up to you two. Whoever finishes their glass first, I will answer." The young man's eyes almost rolled out of his head at the way they widened. He wanted them to _drink_?! Edward had known the harbormaster for some time and couldn't see the usually responsible senior citizen coming up with something like this but throw in alcohol and things seemed to change.

For a moment, he considered what the harbormaster had asked. Drinking for him was somewhat an exercise in futility. His body could burn through any toxins introduced into his system quite quickly and it could be accelerated if he used his black dust. In theory he could get drunk if he drank enough and fast enough but going shot for him was pointless. There was also the fact that since he had known Elsa, he rarely could recall her _ever _having the slightest whiff of alcohol on her. Which made him believe that she wasn't much of a drinker, so she would surely not accept the harbormaster's proposal when she knew who she would be drinking against…

The clink of a cup hitting the table snapped the young man out of his deep thinking to see Elsa with a triumphant look on her face.

"Ok, what happened?"

Mr. Jorgen grinned while Edward's jaw dropped at the blonde as she listened intently to the old man's tale. The young man muted it out as he took another look at Elsa. Earlier today, she had broken down into a shattered mess of guilt and regrets which prompted him to hold her until she picked up the pieces. After she calmed down which alluded that she succeeded, he could tell that she was barely holding it together and needed more support to further cement that fragility of her heart right now.

Unfortunately, he was unfamiliar in the ways of comfort besides just being there, holding someone, or telling them what they needed to hear. Those three methods seemed ineffective this time so he decided to think outside of the box. He remembered many times that Ahimoth would party after a successful campaign which would brighten people's spirits. Rahim never went so Edward had no idea if it worked but gambled he had nothing to lose.

Their first brief immersion into the party did nothing to help the blonde's mood which made him realize quickly that he needed a change in strategy. He felt that she needed some type of affirmation, that she had made a positive difference in someone's life. She obviously must've known the positive influence she had on him yet that wasn't enough, so he wracked his brain for a while and it dawned on him who she needed to speak to.

Lina was a good choice as she was now getting better thanks to the blonde's efforts to improve the lives of her people. He had met the little girl a few times whenever he saw Cameron outside the castle and the guard had introduced them. The little girl had been told of his exploits and already saw him as a hero which was quite embarrassing in a good way. There were times that he secretly had doubts about what he was doing in Arendelle and when Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff were busy, the little girl's childlike innocence was just what he needed.

He hoped that she could share the endless light that radiated off her with the blonde in this trying time and thought that it had been a success. Elsa shed a few happy tears, smiled, and agreed to return to the party. All those signs pointed to her having her spirits lifted but for some reason, there was a tiny bit of doubt in the back of his mind. It was a nagging thought that would appear every time she smiled, he ignored it, hoping that it was his deep sated pessimism after living the life he had but the more and more he locked eyes with her, the feeling grew.

"...so I get there in the morning, and my entire night staff was brawling in the office. Edward was off to the side, doing paperwork of all things. I ask him what happened and do you know what he says? 'I might've pissed off Aaron who threw a punch but hit Melvin who tried to punch him back but he hit Devin then things started to escalate while I snuck out to finish updating the cargo manifest.' Honestly, I've seen Edward hold his own in a brawl quite easily and I'm sure he could've handled Aaron but instead he avoids conflict even if it escalates the situation. Sometimes I wish he'd just stand his ground when something happens."

Elsa shook her head. "While Edward is adept at combat, I think it's noble that he tries to avoid it. Even if he's the one who started it."

"That's the thing lass, in life, there are some things that you can't avoid." Mr. Jorgen took another cup and drank it slower than the others. Him tipping his chin to drink it broke eye contact with Elsa but not with the young man who received a somewhat stern look. The young man noticed it yet said nothing as the old man finished his shot and returned a smile to the woman in front of him.

"Alright, enough of that. I have plenty of more stories of Edward here that I would be willing to speak of if you manage to beat him in shots."

The young man heard the proposal and thought better of it as he chose now to intervene. "I don't that would be wise, she's already had a few drinks. There's no need for her to get heavily intoxicated when she has to wake up tomorrow."

That was only half of the truth, the real reason that Edward didn't want Elsa drunk was because of her powers. If she became too intoxicated, there was a chance that she would lose control over abilities and use them without precision. Plus the fact that they would undoubtedly give her away which would put her in a deeper hole as Queen. He reached over to move the tray out of the blonde's reach but found himself to slow for the unusually excited woman.

Edward watched with great astonishment as Elsa grabbed and downed four more shots in rapid succession. After dropping the fourth one, her face wrinkled in disgust and he thought she might've become sick but she shook it off before throwing her hands up victoriously.

"Yes! That's four more stories!"

The young man gave the old one a curious look as he grasped one of the cups and brought it to his nose to sniff. He couldn't make out any distinct odors so he took a sip and instantly regretted it as a burning feeling consumed his throat and he felt his taste buds commit suicide one at a time. He likely would've coughed or gagged if he tried to take the entire shot, how Elsa managed to down four of them so quickly was a wonder to him.

"Yeah, these are really hard to stomach while you're sober. You gotta work your way up to them or you won't be able to keep them down."

"Then how is _she _able to keep them down?" The tone Edward took wasn't meant to be harsh but there was definitely an edge to it that was plain to notice.

"This wasn't her first drink of the night, I immediately bumped into her while you were gone and we started talking about you over a round of drinks. She didn't drink too much but she had enough before you got here." The simple way the old man explained it brought a small headache to the young man's mind that made him rub his temples.

He wished that he could've monitored all that she drank tonight but wasn't expecting Mr. Jorgen to make things a bit more complicated. Shaking his head of what if's, he evaluated the situation right now. Elsa didn't seem to have any loss of control over her abilities nor to her balance and speech. Which meant the alcohol hadn't fully kicked in yet. Unfortunately given her size and what she drank, it wouldn't be too long before they did kick in.

He had to get her out of here before it did.

"Alright Crystal, it's time we go. You have things to do tomorrow, remember?"

Elsa was a logical person, she preferred to think about things first and have some kind of plan before doing anything. It's what made her a great Queen and an intelligent person who usually was prepared for most outcomes. Her upbringing made planning and being logical a must in her life. He hated to play on that aspect but he needed to do so to avoid any more complications.

However…

"No, people in the castle have things to do tomorrow. _I _on the other hand want to do whatever I want tonight!"

...the logical part of her mind had left the building and gave the keys to her more impulsive side of her mind.

The music in the background was mostly the same since they got here but it changed as if it was linked to the blonde's emotions. A faster, more livier song started to play that had the woman out of her seat with an excited grin on her face. Before he could protest, Elsa grabbed him and pulled him along in a way that would make even Anna jealous. While he was being pulled away, he pointed at the harbormaster and mouthed, 'this is your fault.' the old man simply lifted another glass and downed it as the sea of people blocked him from view once again.

The music got louder and louder until he could see the people who were playing. It was a group of six people who had a wide array of different instruments. He could make out a tambourine, a trumpet, a violin, some large guitar like instrument, a drum of some kind, and finally some kind of flute. The synchronization of them playing was masterfully done as one would taper off another would take the spotlight augmented by tones from the other instruments. The result was a lively beat that would not settle down and only knew how to evolve to stay alive.

Elsa dropped him off somewhat close to them right in the middle of the sea of dancing people and wrapped her arms around him and started dancing to the beat. Placing his own arms around her near the small of her back to steady her in case she lost her balance, he tried to reason with her.

"I think we should go."

The loud music easily drowned out his voice as a particularly high note made Elsa spin them both while she squealed in drunken happiness. He tried to raise his voice to get her attention but the blonde was completely under the hypnotic spell of the song that was playing. It seemed that nothing would break her out of the trance. He debated on just throwing her over his shoulder and bodily taking her away but he didn't want to make a scene. So he reluctantly danced with her to the song and hoped that it would end soon so that he could move the two of them away.

Too bad for him, the band seemed to have a limitless capacity of breath and between the six instruments, they found a way to seemingly increase the duration of the song indefinitely. Edward tried not to think about it but, some time had passed and Elsa's movement began to get more sluggish as she danced. In the beginning her lithe arms held him still and at her mercy but now his arms were supporting her slouching body as she more or less bounced against him. She had lost rhythm with the beat a while ago and the energy she had diminished.

Realizing now was a good opportunity, he was about to gently lead her away when a caressing hand landed on his forearm. His eyes slid over to another blonde woman who was dressed in a very filling short red dress. He briefly scanned her from head to toe as he did with everyone due to his more cautious nature.

The woman noticed and thought he liked what he saw.

"Well hey there, handsome, looks like you have all the girls on you tonight." Edward could smell the small hint of alcohol in her breath and could tell that while she had been drinking, she was as level headed as when she was sober. The comment was most likely aimed at Elsa who had her eyes closed and was slouched on him, likely passed out.

"Yeah, she drank a little too much so I was just going to take her home."

The words registered in his mind the moment they left his mouth. Here in his hands was an unconscious woman that he was all but dragging away and he tells someone else that she had too much to drink and he was taking her home?! Even though it was the truth, any sane regular person would be suspicious of such a reason. He instantly started to speak to better explain the situation before the woman became suspicious.

"i-I know that sounds bad but it's true. We showed up here together because she was having a rough day and I thought that a party would cheer her up so I brought her here where Mr. Jorgen was hosting one for his workers and their friends. I used to work for him so he said that I was welcome any time and I thought today would be a good day to come, so I did and I brought her. I told her to wait at the table we had so I could get her something to drink but when I got back there was this guy who was at our table. I thought he was trying to put the moves on her so I walked over ready to put him in his place but he was with a different woman. I panicked and looked for her then found her with Mr. Jorgen taking shots with him in exchange for stories about me. I thought it was a bad idea for her to drink too much but it was too late and she dragged me over to dance where that damn band played that same song forever and finally she passed out and I'm trying to take her home but you showed up and think that I'm some creep who wants to take advantage of a passed out woman which I would never do because I'm not that guy, in fact I would never do that to anyone and would probably beat whatever guy who would stoop so low into the dirt happily because that's beyond wrong but it's sad to know people do that and-" a finger on his lips stopped his babbling as the woman giggled at his panic.

"Aww you are _so _adorable. How could I possibly imagine a good boy like you taking advantage of this woman? You're probably going to carry her all the way to her home and tuck her into bed aren't you?"

He was. His first instinct was to take her to the castle and tuck her into her bed for tomorrow. However what he didn't consider was how people would talk if they found out their Queen was passed out from drinking in his arms. That would bring forth a plethora of questions that he was sure Elsa didn't want to answer. Maybe he could bring her to his room at the Lumberjack's Heart, it was well into the night there and there wouldn't be too many patrons. The owner knew him and would believe that the woman in his arms had indeed passed out from drinking.

"I was going to but just remembered that her parents don't approve of me so I'm going to take her to the inn I usually stay in and get her a room."

The woman crossed her arms and raised a beautifully sculpted eyebrow. "Now you're being suspicious."

"The owner knows I would never do such a thing."

"All the same, I think I'll go with you just to make sure you're genuine."

Edward might've felt insulted but reasoned that it was a logical request which he accepted. He and the woman left the life of the party and walked down the street toward the inn he stayed in. As the two walked, the young man offered no more conversation as he took discrete looks at his new companion. The woman was beautiful, no one could deny that. Her emerald eyes, heart shaped face, full pink lips and her hair done in a way that some of it covered her left eye would have men fighting for her attention. Then came her body that was quite fuller than most women he'd seen, her abdomen was small and fit while her hips and legs were very shapely. Then there were her breasts that easily dwarfed Elsa's in size and with the way she swayed her hips she knew that men were looking at her.

All things considered, she was drop dead gorgeous.

Yet in Edward's mind, he was suspicious of her. While he understood that he acted a little shady, it was odd that she wished to accompany him to make sure that he told the truth. Say he was lying, she could easily be another victim of his. Even though the streets walked down had some people that would be witnesses if he was planning such a thing, he still found it odd but said nothing as he noticed the familiar inn ahead of him.

Shouldering the door open, Edward carried Elsa to the counter which made the owner give him an incredulous look. Before he could even ask what was going on the young man already requested a room.

"Sorry kid, there aren't any more rooms available."

Edward resisted the urge to groan and say 'of course there aren't' and just politely nodded. All the while aware of the woman behind him giggling at his less than pleased expression.

"Looks like you are going to have a girl in your bed tonight."

The way she spoke the words made it plainly obvious that she was alluding to something else which he didn't care to ask about. With a grumble, Edward carried the woman in his arms up the stairs then down the hall until he was in front of his door. He heard the footsteps of his new companion behind him and felt that she could be useful to him.

"Could you please reach into my right pocket to get my key for the room?"

The woman hummed in affirmation as he felt her slender hand reach into his pocket. The pants he wore didn't have too deep of pockets but he could feel her rummaging in there which made him think that she was looking for something other than keys. His assumption was right when he felt her fingers brush his member before giving it a slight squeeze which made him jump a bit.

_Oh, she doesn't care about Elsa, she came here for __**that. **_

"Got it." She slipped the key out of his pocket before unlocking the door and allowing him through. The welcomed sight of his room would've been most relaxing if it wasn't for the woman who was staring at his back like a hawk. He wanted to tell her to get lost but he didn't want to risk waking up Elsa who he laid down in his bed. After doing so, he tucked her into the covers then turned to the woman who was now right in front of him.

"Look at you being such a gentleman, I would say any girl would be lucky to have you care for them." The caressing touch she laid on his chest made his headache throb a little bit more as he gently grasped her hand before gesturing to the door.

"Perhaps we could return to the bar and I could buy you a drink." Edward would've preferred to stay with Elsa but he needed to get rid of this woman who has yet to tell him her name. She had also seen the blonde a few times and he wanted to make sure that she didn't figure out it was the Queen.

Which led him to his plan at the bar that disgusted him somewhat.

The woman looked triumphant as she thought he was falling for her charms and allowed him to lead her to the bar where he ordered a bottle on the strongest alcohol they served.

"Are you trying to impress me with a shiny bottle?"

Edward simply poured two shot glasses for the two of them before handing her hers. "No, just trying to have a friendly drink." He raised his glass to hers which she clinked it with hers then they started drinking. The two of them went shot after shot with her becoming more and more intoxicated and loose lipped while he remained dry as a bone. He planned on getting her so drunk that she would forget the night and hopefully him and Elsa, a detestable plan but the only one he had at the time.

Plus it was the easiest, given that she seemed to think that he was a lightweight given his obvious distaste to the shots and insisted they drink until he got the hang of it. While they were going through shots, he got her to tell him where she lived so that when she would inevitably pass out he could take her home. Her speech began to slur as well as her movements as she tried to stand up but tripped over her feet which made him catch her before she fell. It was something any decent person would do…

...but the shiver that went up his back when he looked up to see Elsa without her bonnet and her eyes full of rage, made him wish he let the woman faceplant.

"_What. Do. You. Think. You're. __**Doing**__?!"_

Her speech had definitely improved which was a good sign but he could see the faint wisps of cold air flow in her clenched hands. Her hair was still styled in a messy bun that had few strands falling out of it here and there with no make up on her face at all. He could easily recognize her but to someone else who didn't see Queen Elsa everyday and didn't know her, it would take them a minute to recognize her. Edward knew that he needed to deescalate a potentially bad situation quickly.

"Crystal, this is _not _what it looks like."

He was talking to Elsa but the heavens above must've had a bone to pick with him because the blonde woman in his arms responded. "Really, because it seems that the little girl over there doesn't seem to get that you're otherwise engaged at the moment. And another thing, how did you know my name?"

_Of course __**that's **__her name. _

He was about to defend Elsa but she already crossed the inn to get in between the two of them while poking the woman in her chest. "Who are you calling a little girl, and for your information, he's already spoken for." Edward did a double take. He _never _expected Elsa to actually act possessive. It was very arousing to be sure but he could still smell the alcohol on her breath and knew that she was still quite drunk so she couldn't exactly be held responsible for what she might say or do while in this state.

Crystal didn't find it amusing as she brushed the hand off and laughed in the pissed off Queen's face. "Spoken for you say? Then why is he down here with me over being upstairs with you?"

"Because he's too nice to tell you to buzz off!"

Edward might've found this funny another time but for now he gently grasped Elsa's shoulders to keep her from doing something that she would definitely regret tomorrow. While he was relieved that she believed that he wouldn't do anything with the other woman, he could sense that she was close to being furious. The bar was most empty but the few remaining patrons began to take notice the argument, he really needed to get Elsa back upstairs.

"Ok, how about we go upstairs and calm down."

He started to gently pull her away and she reluctantly allowed herself to be dragged until Crystal opened her big mouth.

"Or maybe he realizes he'll have a better time with me over you just sleeping in his bed."

Just like that, Elsa's skin got ice cold and the bottom of her shoes anchored her to the floor which made it impossible to pull her anymore. Edward gave her a few more tugs but she remained rooted in her spot as she leveled an intense glare at the well endowed woman. He could feel her anger beginning to build and he got in front of her to look her in the eyes to convey the seriousness in his voice.

"Listen you need to calm down before you do something that you'll regret."

He hoped she'd understand but all she did was smile in a way that would've made even Wrath nervous before leaning to the side so she could see Crystal.

"Oh I would _never _regret this."

Elsa then grabbed him by the collar and did the first thing that her intoxicated mind came up with.

She kissed him. Hard. In front of everyone in the inn.

When he and Elsa had first been intimate and he gave her a ravenous kiss that made her nervous, he never kissed her in such a fashion as he didn't want to push her too fast even though they had been intimate multiple times. Right now, in this moment, he could easily say that the kiss he gave her was nothing compared to the one she was giving him now. His rational mind told him she was only doing so to prove a point but the mind that dwelled in between his legs that was slowly but surely taking over his brain could only focus on the invasive tongue in his mouth that tasted like alcohol with winter peppermint.

He wanted to surrender to her power completely in that moment, but his rational brain held on until the blonde broke the kiss off herself. She gave him a grin and an even more devilish one to the few patrons that were there before finally landing on Crystal who was steaming. If the normal Elsa was around right now, she would be absolutely mortified at what she just did. The political consequences would be flying through her mind as well as the crippling blow that the Queen's reputation could take if people had seen what she had just done. She probably would've been on the second floor still observing Edward and Crystal drink and wait until the young man got rid of the blonde before speaking with him later.

However, the intoxicated Elsa who was done being the perfect girl and letting her fears control her, was going to let the storm inside her rage outside her as well.

"I'll be doing much more than sleeping in his bed."

With that blatant innuendo, she hauled him up the stairs away from everyone and slammed his door so hard to make sure that everyone down there heard it. Edward's mind was still a little dazed but for the most part he was able to appreciate that the two of them were now in the privacy of his room. While it could've been handled much better, he was glad that Elsa didn't go entirely off the deep end and used her powers, which would've been a dead giveaway who she was.

She still had him by the collar but her grip had considerably loosened to the point that it was just her palm against his collar. He was about to say something when she gave him a firm shove that had the back of his knees hitting his bed forcing him to sit down on it. He was surprised and was about to ask what that was for but when he met her eyes, his throat dried up.

Being a predator for so long taught him early on how to distinguish his kind from prey quite easily. He look people in the eyes and see who would give in first versus the ones that would be the most defiant. He could pick out killers easily with the dead and murderous look in their eyes. He could also see the fear in someone's eyes when they realized that there was nothing they could do.

When he looked into Elsa's eyes in that moment, he could see himself in her eyes' reflection and could easily see that he was the prey and she was the predator.

"U-um Elsa, I-i think that you should go to bed now…"

She gave a sultry laugh and crossed the room with long strides before being in front of him and slightly lifting her blouse so that she could slide a leg across his lap and straddle him. "I'll go to bed after…"

She tried to wrap her arms around his neck but he gently took her shoulders to keep her from getting any closer. As much as he craved the blonde, even more so given that they haven't really had any privacy since he got back from his field exercise, he knew that this was wrong. He always wanted Elsa to be true to herself and not worry about what she should be as Queen. Even if now she acted like the mantle of Queen wasn't on her mind at all, she still wasn't in her _right _mind.

The Elsa he knew and loved could be quite flirtatious and arousing for sure but that was behind closed doors. She would never flaunt her private business in public like she had just done downstairs. She also wouldn't act so territorial so openly. Elsa was far too insightful and tactical than to do that. The blonde he knew would move her assets discreetly before taking her target down without letting them know what hit them the way she always did when she played chess. Plus she was above having a screaming match with another woman and almost losing her cool.

As much as it pained him to admit it, the Elsa in his arms, wasn't _his _Elsa.

"No, you need to go to bed right now."

The blonde pouted and gave him the puppy dog look that probably would've gotten him to do anything she wanted any other time. Right now though, he met her gaze with a firm look that wasn't going to budge. After realizing it wasn't going to work, she dropped her head into his chest and remained there for a moment. Satisfied that she had stopped trying to persuade him into doing something wrong, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and her waist and was about to tuck her in when she said something he doubted he would've heard from her normally.

"Even you will look at me differently now that you know that I'm a monster on the inside..."

Edward froze and tried to pull her off his chest to see her face but she wouldn't move. He could feel her hands tightly gripping his shirt and could see that she was only making herself smaller and smaller in front of him.

He _never _expected to hear that come from her. After all this time of her trying to convince him that he wasn't a monster, it never crossed his mind that she would ever call herself one. It made it quite obvious that her earlier smile tonight was just for show and that those families still weighed heavily on her mind. His earlier instinct that he tried to convince was wrong was right on the money.

He should've seen it, the way she instantly flirted back with him _right _after her talk with Lina. Her indulgence of drinking. Finally her recent confrontation with Crystal. She was putting up a front that she was ok and tried to drink and forget her earlier worries but now that she was sobering up, they all came rushing back.

"Elsa, you aren't a monster."

A harsh depreciating laugh came from her as she finally lifted her head to give him a sullen smile. "That's funny coming from you. Seeing as you called yourself a monster for the longest time and I had to keep telling you over and over that you weren't. Now that I'm doing it, you probably think that you should do the same for me. The only problem with that is you never had to hide it from anyone. You could show it and move on to the next town as you planned on doing when you first got here. Me on the other hand, I'm trapped here, chained by my obligations as Queen and am forced to be someone else."

Elsa then began to laugh in that same depreciating way that made him begin to worry. He knew that laugh, it was the laugh of someone on the edge of losing all hope and falling into a bottomless pit of sadness. He needed to snap her out of it before it was too late.

"Listen, you aren't a monster. You drank too much alcohol and don't know what you're doing or saying."

The blonde's laugh abruptly stopped as her eyes lost their sullen look to them and became ice cold. She remained silent as she stared at the ceiling before her eyes leveled on his and his breath hitched. The spark of anger that he felt from her was his only warning that he should not have said that.

"I don't know what I'm doing?"

A harsh slap to his cheek knocked him down on the bed before Elsa grabbed him by the collar and brought him back to her face before she roared at him.

"_**Screw you, I know exactly what I'm doing! **_I've spent my entire _childhood _becoming ready to one day be Queen. I know _every _law, policy, history, culture, religion, language, building, position, and aspect that has _anything _to do with Arendelle. I can recite Socrates in Greek, recount the laws Pythagoras studied as well as his theorem, and can speak many languages. I've enriched the lives of my people in every way and fought to make something out of a small kingdom in terms of size and military power. I've also made alliances and helped other kingdoms settle disputes peacefully and have been instrumental in the current peace that the world has now enjoyed. Yet for some reason, I'm always asked for more, there's _always _more! No matter what I do, I'm expected to do more. They think because I can make it snow that I'm some kind of god but all I am is a twenty-odd something woman who just got out of total isolation!"

Edward could do nothing but listen to her as vented on him. Surprisingly, there was no ice around and the room remained at its normal temperature despite the emotional downpour that was coming from her.

"Even now, I'm portrayed as this perfect Queen that everyone loves and wouldn't hurt a fly. I _killed _four people and my own council hid that from me! They knew that the people would see me for what I am and they did what was best and hid it from me so I could believe in the lie that they sold everyone else. Now that I know about it, I can't even do anything about it! The council set things up so perfectly that they could _ruin _the image they crafted for me with a snap of their fingers! So I'm forced to remain the good girl that I always have to be. I try to be content, I have Anna, she's happy, hell she's _married _right now to the man of her dreams. I will never blame her but I know that I will never have that. No, I'll be married off to some dashing royal and expected to submit to him like a good _pet. _When that happens, what I know will be irrelevant. He'll have all the power, even if I could snap my fingers and turn him into an icicle, he could reveal how much of a monster I am and have people wanting me burned at the stake as you so eloquently put it."

He listened and could feel her pent up anger finally coming to the surface. He should've seen a whole lot sooner, her being a single ruler had its load of problems but being a Queen had its own share. Females were unfortunately considered lesser than men and even with all she accomplished, he knew that there would be people who thought a man could do better. She had told him that she forgave her parents long ago but the pain of being alone was still there, and to be honest, he didn't see it ever leaving her.

_Some kinds of pain, just never go away._

A wave of rage washed over him but he could instantly tell it wasn't his. It was the myriad of soul echoes of all his victims that he had killed over his long life, Rahim's being the most distinguishable of all of them. He had a record of all of them that he could relive at any time and continued to maintain them all this time. It was his own punishment for being the monster that he was.

Elsa had told him that after her parents died, she debated on leaving her room to comfort her sister that was crying on the other side of her door. What stopped her was the frost that exploded from her when she saw the black curtain that was over her parents' picture. She had been dressed for the funeral and was about to go to get Anna but one look at that picture had her running back to her room and releasing the anguish that came from the realization that they were really gone.

So she stayed in her room.

She imprisoned herself to keep everyone safe until the day she became Queen and was forced to open the gates and expose her people to the hidden danger that was her. She tried to be the perfect Queen but ultimately failed and tried to flee but the mantle of the throne wouldn't release her so easily. Anna came after her because they were family and Elsa would never doubt that, but everyone else wanted her back because she was the Queen.

That's what everyone saw her as and since she prepared her whole life to fulfill that role, she took the job and did what was expected of her.

It made him wonder something…

"Elsa...do you want to be Queen?"

The blonde's venting came to a screeching halt with that simple question. She was finally able to register the patient look in the man's eyes and could tell that there was a subtle shift in them. They didn't house the look of pity or worry that so plain to see earlier, all there was a calm, open, and attentive look in his eyes. Her earlier rant was out of his mind as he only wished to know her answer to his question.

A question, no one has ever asked her, not even Anna.

"Do I want to be Queen, what kind of question is that?"

She expected that he would explain the reasoning of asking that but he didn't.

"Exactly what it sounds like."

She wanted to scoff at the question and say of course but the words died in her throat when she looked him in the eyes. They easily pierced hers and looked deep in her soul as he awaited her answer. If she said the words, he would be able to instantly tell that it was a lie. Her mind began to argue with itself as it asked why would that be a lie?

Of course she wanted to be Queen. It was what she had been brought up to be her entire life. She didn't know anything else, her being Queen made sense given everything that's happened to her. Yet a small part of her wondered if she wasn't Queen, what would she do?

Where would she be if she wasn't bound to the throne?

Would she be hunted as she knew others were since her abilities weren't natural? '

Or could she find some remote place to be alone and not hurt anyone, like her ice palace?

The questions kept appearing in her mind as she tried to ignore them. She couldn't think about things like that, she _was _Queen, she loved her people, she loved her kingdom, she loved being able to make a difference.

_Does one have to be a Queen to make a difference?_

That nagging voice in the back of her head asked that question and she couldn't help but consider it. She wanted to say no, that anyone could make a difference but doing so would mean that she didn't _have _to be Queen to make a difference in her people's lives. She already had the power to do essentially whatever she wanted but she always told herself that using her power for her own ends was unacceptable. She wouldn't force change, she'd earn it by playing by the same rules as everyone else but the fact was that they didn't really apply to her.

If she wanted to, she could conquer all her enemies by sealing them in a snowglobe or sending an endless amount of snowmen to fight their armies. Both her allies and enemies knew she could do this. Even if she wasn't Queen, she was a threat to any kingdom on her own. Which made her ask herself…

...did she really have to be Queen?

It was a question she never allowed herself to consider, if she did, she would begin to wonder what her life could've been like if she wasn't a Queen.

As she continued to stare into his eyes, she gave him the best answer she had.

"I don't know what I would be if I wasn't a Queen."

The young man only blinked before he said something that she would never forget.

"You'd be Elsa."

Such a simple answer made all the raging storm inside her dissipate. She felt all her tense muscles all go lax at once that she actually felt herself fall before two arms grabbed her and kept her upright. She was so drained all of a sudden like someone had sucked all the energy out of her but when she looked around the room, there wasn't a speck of ice that should've manifested in her surge of emotion.

All she could do was continue to look in those calm blue eyes that pierced through hers yet hide nothing when she looked into his. She could see that he understood what it meant to be something that you were always expected to be. To always be expected to do more when you've already achieved great things. To know what it was like to feel trapped by someone else and when they finally couldn't hold you, you decide to hold yourself in the same prison they fashioned.

"And you're Wrath, aren't you?"

Wrath didn't see the need to answer as he was pretty sure that she knew who he was. The shift between him and Edward was so subtle that neither of them realized they had swapped places. Even now, he couldn't sense Edward anywhere, it was just him alone with Elsa. The demon had listened to the blonde vent and could understand how she felt, it was the same way he felt for so long.

He could remember always fighting, hunting, and killing whenever he was told to. It _never _ended, there was just always more. No matter the opponent or amount of people, he'd always be asked to do more. Whenever he finished, he'd go back to his courtyard and collect his trophy. He always tended to them so he'd remember who he killed seeing as he had nothing better to do. Even when Edward broke away from Talib and Father, he remained in his courtyard. Despite the desire to break free and return to his master's service as it was the only thing he knew, he remained in the prison that had confined him for so long.

To him, it was _his _space. _He _was the King inside that space. No one could tell him anything as long as he stayed in there. He loved his courtyard, it was his home because it was all he knew. He never imagined going beyond it until he arrived to Arendelle. Now, he wanted to see the sky, see the ocean, the forests, anything and everything that was beyond his walls. However, he usually chose to remain in his prison because he was afraid. Afraid of being something else than what he was expected to be.

He was the exact same as Elsa, which made it important that she heard what he had to say.

"Elsa, for as long as I can remember, I've been Wrath the Furious. A weapon used whenever my master thought was needed. It was all I could be because it was what I was _made _to be. Even now that he's far away and I can do whatever I please, my main function is to be a weapon. I imprison myself in the same space because that space is mine and no one can take it from me. My existence has been a long and lonely one that I would not wish on anyone else."

Wrath spoke simply, as if he was reading an informative text. There was no pity or sadness in his voice, just complete certainty that came from acceptance of his situation.

"You still have time, you can be whatever you wish to be, even if it's only in small steps. You have a sister, mom, dad, and grandfather who would be more than willing to run the kingdom for you if you asked them to. You told Edward that he wasn't a monster because he felt remorse for the things he's done and has actively tried to be better. You are no monster, the grief and guilt you feel right now proves it. I wish I could say that some day, the feeling will go away. But it doesn't, you will always remember those four lives ended because of you, however instead of stop trying to be better, _become _better for them so their lives had meaning. Be worthy of their sacrifice, and make it so that it will never happen again."

She appreciated the words, she really did but her mind was still plagued with doubts.

"...what if I can't?"

"You have absolute faith in Edward's ability to do so. Which means that if there's no doubt in your mind that he can do it, then there's no doubt in my mind that you can since you are without a doubt the strongest person I've ever come across."

The more Elsa looked into Wrath's eyes, the more she could feel the sheer certainty that he possessed. Her brain refused to try and find some way to argue with what he said and with the last of her burdens erased from her mind by his stare, she found herself becoming tired. Her eyelids became too heavy to keep up after all the energy had left her body and her head slumped into his chest.

She felt him pick her up before feeling her blouse being unbuttoned and slipped off her leaving her in her underclothes. If her mind was more active, she would've wondered if Wrath was still aroused from earlier events but as it wasn't, all she could do was register what she felt. The feeling of her skin exposed to his touch made it easier to distinguish that he had one arm holding her upright while the other stripped her of excess clothing.

After the last of her outerwear was gone, she felt an arm go under her legs then carry her to the bed where he put her down and draped a cover on her. She felt her body become slightly warm as she was now in bed and could hear him grab a chair before dragging it across the floor before the sound of the chair squeaking alerting her that he was sitting in it.

This brought back memories of the first time she ever kissed the man next to her. He had let her sleep in his bed while he stood watch over her like a sentinel. It didn't surprise her to know that Wrath would do the exact same thing, those two were very alike, even if they didn't see it.

Inevitably though, that cold feeling that she had last time washed over her which made it impossible for her to sleep. She already knew that no matter how she squirmed she would remain cold until the man next to her joined her in the bed. So with her eyes still closed, she pulled off the half the cover and patted the space next to her. She knew he was watching her and could guess that he was reluctant to indulge her request.

"You know I won't sleep without you."

She heard him blow through his nose before the sound of the chair squeaking as well as the bed dipping with his weight as he slipped in with his clothes still on. Elsa took her usual position on his chest and let her hands wander as they usually did over his scars but frowned when she felt the shirt under her fingers. So she pinched the fabric in between her fingernails and tugged on it.

"Off."

It was a simple command, one that Wrath clearly understood but didn't move to execute. Seemingly frustrated by his lack in movement, Elsa opened an eye to give him a look that had him grumble before fulfilling her request. He returned back to the bed with his chest bare which allowed her to take her usual spot again on her favorite pillow. Her hand once again traced the many scars that littered it, memorizing each one once again with her eyes closed. He knew that she did this almost every time she was ever in this position, Edward wondered why she did such a thing but never asked her thinking that she would tell him one day on her own. Feeling her nails raking across his chest had Wrath opening his mouth to speak.

"Why do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Trace my scars."

"Does it bother you?"

Wrath thought about the question for a moment and realized that it didn't bother him but it still made him curious why she was so fascinated in them.

"No, but you always touch them and I always wondered why."

"Because I know you can heal any wound with no visible mark remaining. When you fought Zavis, I noticed that you had a new scar on your abdomen from that cut he gave you. However when Rahim completely destroyed you and you regenerated yourself, you had a gaping hole in your throat that you healed and I haven't seen a scar of. At first I always traced these to remind myself that you have been through enough and shouldn't have to fight anymore, but now, I know that they mean something to you if you willingly allow them to remain on your skin even when you have the option to heal them."

_That _sounded more like the Elsa he loved. Analytical and intelligent. Being able to point out his scars and the fact that they remained on his skin after being aware he could heal any wound completely showed that she was paying attention. She was absolutely right in her theory, his scars did mean something to him.

"You're right, they do mean something to me. They're all the wounds I've ever obtained after taking over Rahim's body. Before, any wound I sustained would be instantly healed with no mark that showed it was ever there. Made it seem like the battle never happened. It never occurred to me to care about such a thing until I fought Rahim. He was the best fighter I've ever come up against and my victory over him was one that I will never forget. Yet unfortunately, the scars I had of that battle was erased, so when I took over Rahim's body, I erased all of his scars and let all of mine remain. In the beginning, it was just a reminder of the people I fought. Now, it's another way that I honor the fallen."

Elsa hummed after hearing what he said and snuggled up into him more. He likewise relaxed some more and let his fingers absently glide across her bare stomach in a way that was calming. The predator almost dozed off when the blonde spoke up again.

"If I just ran away from Arendelle, what would you do?"

The answer was obvious.

"I'd chase after you, of course."

"To bring me back?"

"No, to make sure that you remained safe. Whether you return or not, is entirely up to you. All I care about is make sure you have the choice."

She didn't speak which made him think that she didn't have anything left to say until he heard her whisper.

"You really did mean it when you said you loved me..."

"Of course I did."

Wrath felt a kiss on his cheek before he allowed himself to doze off before the blonde who cracked an eye open to see the peaceful expression on the man's face as he slept. It was the exact same expression he had whenever he slept with her and she loved to see it, yet she knew that deep down, there was a war going on.

One in which the two of them were still trying to figure out who exactly they were.

_You gave me a simple answer on who I would be if I wasn't Queen, yet you can't figure out who you are if you weren't Wrath._

She knew the answer, but she kept it to herself. They needed to find it and she would stay right where she was until they did.

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**Wow 13,000 words in ONE chapter. That was a lot and to be honest, it completely murdered my weekend, I better get to a hundred reviews or I'm going to lose my mind. Anyway I hoped you liked it, and the lemon will definitely be next chapter, I needed this one to be insightful and meaningful. I hope none of you find the characters too out of character. Alcohol is a powerful thing, I got drunk pretty fast and almost got into a fight with a 12 year old, how does that happen? _ anyway I really hoped ya'll enjoyed and I will definitely have another chapter pumped out next week. Maybe two since I'll be at a desk for 24 hours maybe twice next week, but I have to remember that my brain function declines when I'm tired and so will my writing so I'll take it into account. Anyway please review or send me a pm if you wish to contact me, I hope you all stay tuned.**


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